1890-1920 ca. Sterling Silver Chatelaine, England. Center Medallion With Portraits, three drops of monogrammed mesh purse, globe-shaped watch and book-shaped case. Via Augusta Auctions – augusta-auction.com
Definition
The word Chatelaine is French and means the keeper of the keys
Chatelaine” derives from the Latin word for castle
In Medieval times, the chatelaine was in charge of the day-to-day running of the castle.
What did a chatelaine do?
Most important task was keeper of the keys.
Also ordered supplies, did bookkeeping, supervised servants, taught castle children, and organized guests.
1763 Shagreen Etui Or Necessaire, English. via Gould Antiques ~ gouldantiques.com
Definition Etui Or Necessaire: Small toiletry, writing, or sewing containers carried by ladies and gentlemen in vast castles or large manor houses so their essentials were always on hand. Also used when traveling, where space was always limited. Easily carried in a pocket, or bag or reticule, to use for personal grooming, sewing repairs e.g. ripped hem or missing button, to do embroidery or to write a letter.
Definition Shagreen: Type of rawhide, originally made from the back of a horse or a wild donkey. In the 18th century, the skin of a shark was used as well.
1807 Gentleman’s Everyday Outfit, French. Brown coat, high collared shirt, and vest simply tied, wit a cravat and a black hat and a cane. Brutus style hair cut of curled hair. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
French fashions and Georgian and Regency Era fashions from Great Britain were copied around the world. This is what men wore in the times of Jane Austen for city and country life.
1807 Two Ladies and a Gentleman, English. Lady in lavender walking dress with fur trim, reticule or bag, fitted bonnet with tassel and yellow gloves. Lady in white evening dress with salmon tunic caught up at one side and evening turban. Man in long blue overcoat with contrasting collar, high white cravat, yellow gloves, tall boots, and top hat. Typical of the sort of outfits ladies and gentlemen in Jane Austen’s times would have worn while out walking, visiting friends or for an evening event, like a dinner party. A long coat, or Redingote or Pelisse for warmth when outdoors, and all matched with the essentials, day or night, of hats and gloves. via Le Beau Monde, or Literary and Fashionable Magazine, London, U.K.
1818 November ‘Fashionables Of 1818’ By George Cruikshank.Couple walk arm-in-arm with the man wearing Dandy costume of bell-shaped top-hat, trousers strapped under high-heeled boots without spurs and jauntily carried cane. Much shorter lady wears enormously high bonnet, striped over-dress over frilled white muslin, skirt above ankles, and carries a large ermine muff. Via British Museum, London, UK. britishmuseum.org (PD-Art)
These are the sort of outfits a couple would wear in Jane Austen’s times although these are exaggerated in caricatures to poke fun at the extremes of Regency fashion when women’s hats were so large and high that a lady was dwarfed by her devotion to fashion and a gentleman’s collar and neckcloth were so high he couldn’t turn his head to speak to the lady.
1800 ca. Gentleman’s White Dimity Waistcoat As Worn By the Men In Bridgerton and Jane Austen Year. #Bridgerton #JaneAusten #RegencyFashion https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionMen1800-1819
Top Hat Styles Chart during the 1800s, from the Regency Era through to the Victorian years. Most popular style was cone shaped and tall in height. Originally made of beaver and very short but later from silk and taller. Tall crown, widens at top, narrow brim turns up slightly at sides. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionMen1800-1819
1806-1809 ca. Unissued One Pound Banknote. Issued in Alton, Hampshire, UK. The type of currency used by Jane Austen and her brother when dealing with the family’s finances. Issuer Alton Bank. Unissued banknote. (obverse) Emblem with initials, floral design and crown on top at left. Text at centre. Design printed in black. via British Museum.
A pound was a lot of money for the majority of people during the Regency, so the general population didn’t trust flimsy paper banknotes. A metal coin held its value in gold or silver, whereas paper banknotes were easily lost or damaged and very easy to forge. The original banknotes were merely a piece of paper that promised payment for a set amount and were issued by individual banks. The Bank of England used these notes from its inception in 1694 and regional banks continued issuing them until the changes to the Act in 1844. By the mid 1700s, notes started to become standardized, with ten and five pound notes appearing, but as they were all hand-lettered and signed they were viewed with skepticism. Most transactions were therefore done with metal coins, with many shopkeepers routinely biting down on a coin to ensure it was legitimate.
Who loves Bridgerton and Jane Austen Women’s Fashions? Everyone? Of course we do!
During the early 1800s, dress fabrics and dresses were thin, sometimes almost transparent. These lightweight white cotton dresses were fashionable in Jane Austen’s times, but they were certainly not warm when a lady was out walking or when riding in a carriage. Numerous outer layers could be added for warmth and to brighten and personalize an outfit. These might be an overdress, pelisse or redingote, hat, shawl, gloves, or large fur muff.
A typical outdoor outfit worn by the Bridgerton family, or Jane Austen and her contemporaries, when going outside consisted of an Empire style, or high-waisted, white cotton dress worn under a Pelisse, or Redingote, or coat, for warmth and with an added layer with the pretty shawl. Hats were made to match gowns and cloaks and fashionable women spent an extraordinary amount of time coordinating complete ensembles which included reticules or bags, shoes, shawls, gloves, hats, parasols, and fans. Typical Empire style dresses had low necklines and with skirts that started directly under the bust and flowed into the classical relaxed wide styles of Greece and Rome. These were worn most days and cotton, silk or taffeta were the popular fabrics.
Definition Empire Style Dress: Named after the First Empire in France. Empire dresses had a low neckline and skirts started directly under the bust and flowed into the classical relaxed wide styles of Greece and Rome. This style of dress is associated with Jane Austen and her contemporaries as a high-waisted dress was worn most days. Cotton, silk or taffeta were the popular fabrics. Only the very wealthy could afford white dress in this style as the cottons were imported from India and had to be carefully cleaned, usually by a lady’s maid.
1816 July Opera Dress of White Lace, English. White dress with scalloped lace hem and shawl collar with lace edge, and worn under a gorgeous pink draping shawl. Skirt trimmed with lace festooned at regular distances, edged by plain band of byas satin and finished by pearl ornaments. Plain long sleeve, very full, caught at the wrists and elegantly finished with lace. Hair ornamented with a wreath of French roses, parted in front, and simply dressed in loose curls. Necklace, ear-rings, and bracelets of pearl. White satin slippers, and white kid gloves and a blush colored French silk scarf. Fashion Plate via Rudolph Ackermann’s ‘The Repository of Arts’.
Extravagant accessories of every color and style were added to the plain white dresses to show individuality and for warmth in cold European temperatures.
Definition Redingote Or Pelisse Or Walking Dress Or Coat: French word developed from English words, riding coat. Long fitted outdoor coat worn over other garments for warmth. Originally made with several capes and trimmed with large buttons. For women, the coat was often cut away in the front or left open to show off the dress underneath. French fashion plates call these coats Redingotes and they were worn by men, women, and children. English fashion plates call the coats a Pelisse, a walking dress, Promenade dress, or Carriage dress.
1800-1820 ca. Man’s Everyday Oatmeal Colored Wool Suit With Breeches. Can you picture Jane Austen’s male relatives and friends wearing this? Oatmeal colored double breasted cutaway style coat with velvet collar, steel buttons, rear flap pockets, back vent flanked by stitched down pleats having top and bottom button detail, glazed linen lining. Fall front tan breeches having three button front, small side buttons, back lacing waistband with pocket, four buttons above buttoned cuff, front lined in green linen. via Whitaker Auction whitakerauction.smugmug.com
