1810 Sarcophagus Shaped Inkstand, British. Inkstand is made in the shape of a sarcophagus. Ink pots and a tray for the quill. In Jane Austen’s time, young gentlemen went on their “Grand Tour’ to gain education and experience and they sent, or brought back, unique and decorative items to represent their travels. Often, these decorative items were copied by British manufacturers to sell for the home market. via Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. mfa.org
1819 January ‘Going to White’s’. By Richard Dighton. Lord Alvanley walks on the pavement going to White’s Club for gentlemen in London wearing a top-hat, double-breasted coat, strapped trousers, and the high collar of a dandy. Via British Museum, London, UK. britishmuseum.org (PD-Art)
White’s was an exclusive Gentlemen’s Club on St. James Street, London, U.K where well-dressed men, or Dandies, gathered at a special table in front of the large bow window looking out at the street. This became known as a seat of privilege and was used by London’s most famous Dandy, Beau Brummell. Other well-known dandies were William Arden, Joshua Allen, Thomas Raikes and Ball Hughes. Cartoonists loved to ridicule these high-in-the-instep gentlemen who wore the most fashionable clothes and set the fashion trends for the Regency years, and the years when Jane Austen was writing her famous novels.
1830 Hatchetts, the White Horse Cellar, Piccadilly, London, UK. By James Pollard. Denver Art Museum.
The dreadful condition of British roads caused great apprehension to all classes of travelers. Making a journey anywhere in the country was a big undertaking and often a gentleman composed his last will and testament before his departure. Traveling in vehicles was only possible during the day or on the nights with very bright moonlight with few vehicles attempting road travel in winter and any travel on a Sunday was frowned upon. books2read.com/SuziLoveTravel
Description of Stage Coach Travel in England. via 1815 Journal Tour of Great Britain. “The gentlemen coachmen, with half-a dozen great coats about them, immense capes, a large nosegay at the button-hole, high mounted on an elevated seat, with squared elbows, a prodigious whip, beautiful horses, four in hand, drive in a file to Salthill, a place about twenty miles from London, and return, stopping in the way at the several public-houses and gin-shops where stage-coachmen are in the habit of stopping for a dram, and for parcels and passengers on the top of the others as many as seventeen persons. These carriages are not suspended, but rest on steel springs, of a flattened oval shape, less easy than the old mode of leathern braces on springs. Some of these stage coaches carry their baggage below the level of the axletree.”
What was fashionable for outer wear in past centuries? Different names in different countries: Pelisse, Redingote, Coat, Or Walking Dress. The Bridgertons and Jane Austen and her contemporaries wore long coats like these to keep warm when out and about, visiting, shopping etc. The thin muslin dresses worn in the early 1800s were little protection against European winters. http://books2read.com/suzilovePelisse
1789-1790 ca. Man’s Red Riding Coat, England or France. Wool plain weave, full finish, with metallic-thread embroidery, tan breeches, black riding boots and crop. Credit: (M.2007.211.46) via Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California, USA. collections.lacma.org
1800 Outfit Of A Young Man With Grey Cutaway Coat, French. Grey cutaway coat, red vest or waistcoat, high white cravat, yellow breeches with red fob at waist, yellow gloves, black boots with tassels, hat and walking stick. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
In the early years of the 19th century, men’s fashions changed dramatically. Coats were cut higher in the front and finished in long tails at the back. Waist length square-cut waistcoats were displayed beneath tailcoats. The lining of the shoulders and upper chest of the coat was sometimes quilted to improve the fit and some dandies wore boned corsets to give them a small waist. Trousers became increasingly fashionable in the first quarter of the 19th century as men gradually adopted long trousers rather than knee breeches. At first long length pants were only worn for day and informal dress and breeches were still required for court dress, but by the 1820s trousers were accepted as evening wear.
Typical menswear in the early 1800s included a tailcoat, a vest or waistcoat, either breeches, pants, or the newer trousers, stockings, shoes or boots, all worn with an overcoat and hat. This basic ensemble was accessorized with some form of neckcloth or cravat, gloves, walking stick, cane or riding crop, handkerchief, fobs, watch and perhaps a quizzing glass or eye glass. The tan hat from the late 18th century was worn and developed into the top hat which was worn for day and formal dress throughout the 19th century. Hair was carefully styled into a windswept look or worn short and curled.
1830 ca. Quilted Buff Canvas Corset, English. Quilted canvas, wood, boning, and brass. Self lined, quilted with back stitch.
Front fastening, shoulder straps, and brass eyelets for back. The wide centre front busk may be of wood and these stays are boned from the waist through the centre of the bust gussets, with three bones at each side and on each side of the back lacing. The rest is quilted, the top is over a cord foundation, and there are gussets at the hips. Eyelets in the back and strap lacing are of brass and machine inserted. On the left of the centre busk at hip level, is a tape stretched so that it ties horizontally. The top and straps are bound with tape. Self lined, quilted in back stitch, the waist is herringboned, and the bases of the bust and hip gores are button-holed. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk
1800 ca. Brown Silk Trousers, French. Though these pants are French, the men in Jane Austen’s life would have worn similar trousers. Drop down front flap, or ‘fall’, buttoned waist front and back, extra fabric in the back for ease of movement and ties at calves to hold in place. via Metropolitan Museum, N.Y.C., U.S.A.
1801 Typical Gentleman’s Suit, French. Normal outfit worn by men in the times of Jane Austen, or the Regency Era, or the early 1800s. Blue tailcoat with brass buttons, taupe breeches tied beneath the knees, white stockings, black dress shoes, black hat, gloves and cane. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
Typical menswear in the early 1800s included a tailcoat, a vest or waistcoat, either breeches, pants, or the newer trousers, stockings, shoes or boots, all worn with an overcoat and hat. This basic ensemble was accessorized with some form of neckcloth or cravat, gloves, a walking stick, cane or riding crop, handkerchief, fobs, a watch and perhaps a quizzing glass or eye glass.
19th Century Early Typical Regency Era Men’s Pants With Drop Down Front Flap. Breeches, pantaloons and trousers usually opened by front flaps which dropped down and were fastened with buttons. No belts but pants were instead held up by tight-fitting waists and adjusted to fit snugly by ties or buckles in the back. Back seats were baggy to allow a man to sit and stand comfortably. Typical of a gentleman’s pants worn during the early 1800s, or the Regency Era, or Jane Austen’s times. They have a front flap, or fall, a back waist tie and buttons and ties to secure the breeches below the knee.
