Busks shaped and reinforced the centre front of stays, or corsets. They were made from whalebone, wood, and bone, and were often inscribed with names, dates, and symbols of love because they were positioned close to the heart. The corsets worn in Jane Austen’s later years and by women in Bridgerton times often had busks to stiffen the corset and support the breasts.
1818 August English dinner Dress. White high-waisted, loose and flowing dress, multiple layers of frill and blue hem decoration, shawl collar, blue and white scarf and high flowered bonnet. Fashion Plate John Belle’s La Belle Assemblée or, Bell’s Court and Fashionable Magazine, London.
1811 Half-Mourning Dress, French. Black dress, high white neck ruffle, black hat with white trim and white shoes. Jane Austen and her family would have worn this type of outfit when mourning a relative or friend. However, as black dresses, black tunics, and black lace shawls were popular throughout the Regency years, it is often hard to decide what was definitely made for mourning and what was simply fashionable wear. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
In November, 1810, Princess Amelia, youngest daughter of George III, died. At the end of 1810 full mourning of complete black would have been worn but by the beginning of 1811, half mourning would still have been to respect the loss of a royal family member. Half-mourning allowed touches of silver, grey, mauve and white to be added to a mostly black outfit and would be worn after the period of full mourning was ended, times depending on the relationship to the deceased person. Garments and accessories could either be trimmed with black, jet jewelry worn, black ribbons added, or a layer of black net or gauze added to a dress or hat.
Definition Half or Slight Mourning: Allowed touches of grey and white to be added to full, or deep, mourning ensembles. Some lustre, or shine, was allowed in fabrics and accessories. After a time, mauve or deep purple could also be worn. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashion1810-1814
1820-1830 ca. Mother Of Pearl sewing casket with a painted view of Weilburg near Baden in Austria. Painting by Balthasar Wigand.
From The Curator: The mother-of-pearl industry in Vienna reached its apogee during the 1820s and 1830s, when numerous luxury items such as candle screens and desk sets were embellished with the iridescent material. Balthasar Wigand, responsible for the miniature on the lid of this box, specialized in views of the city and its surroundings, painted especially for use on small pieces of furniture and caskets. via Metropolitan Museum New York City, U.S.A. metmuseum.org
1812 February Winter Walking Dress, English. Scarlet Merino wool pelisse lined with straw colored sarsnet, trimmed with light colored spotted fur attached with loops of black silk cordon and rich frog tassels, broad fur in front forming a tippet, pointed at back, narrow fur passes from top of sleeves, worn over a white dress, yellow winter hat, gray gloves, and paisley shawl. Fashion Plate via John Belle’s La Belle Assemblee.
Definition Merino Wool: Finest quality wool, originating in Spain. Just before and during the Regency, Merino sheep were exported from Spain into Britain and other parts of Europe. Napoleon supported Merino growth in France. In 1808, after French invaded Spain, King George purchased additional 2000 Merinos for royal flock but Britain too wet for thriving industry. Other countries i.e. Australia, began producing fine quality Merino.
I can picture Jane Austen and her female friends and family wearing a Pelisse, or Walking Dress, Or Redingote, like this to keep them warm when shopping or paying visits to friends. During the Regency Era, out door activities were encouraged and outside clothing needed to be more practical and with thicker fabrics, such as Merino wool. Tunics gave an additional layer to thin dresses and walking dresses, pelisses, Redingotes and half cloaks were worn and accessorized with cashmere shawls and oversized fur muffs.
1818 Gentleman’s Outfit, French. Cutaway coat with a fur collar and extra long tails, blue trousers finishing at his ankles, blue vest, high white cravat, black shoes, black top hat, walking stick and cured hairstyle with small sideburns. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
The Duke of St. Martin asks Lady Rebecca Jamison, “Who protects you from the current set of fire-breathing dragons?” #HistoricalRomance #Mystery https://books2read.com/suziloveES
“And who protects you from the current set of fire-breathing dragons?”
She raised her chin. “I’ve outgrown such childishness.”
She lowered herself to the closest settee, a demonstration of ladylike maturity and a reprieve for her trembling knees.
“Pity.” His forehead furrowed into a pained frown. “Ah.
That’s why you wore a disguise. And why you came so late at night.”
She nodded. “The consortium watches our house and tracks our movements. In order to speak with you alone, I was forced to dress like this and sneak out the servant’s entrance in the dark. Although luckily, the syndicate’s inner circle doesn’t want me dead. Not yet.
“Wonderful!” He glared at her. “Your blithe not yet offers such comfort to my nerves.”
She glared back. “Oooh! I cannot explain if you interrupt with your sarcastic jabs.”
He dipped his head, and then waved a hand. “I apologize for my uncertain temperament this evening. Please, tell me about Peggy, and what she did at your Women’s Society.”
“She writes — No, she wrote the letters for women who wish to invest in stock ventures. We were trying to keep their identities, and their objectives, a secret.”
“Why? Because they’re women? Because jobbers stood for them in the Exchange?”
She raised a brow. “For someone only recently returned to London, you appear exceedingly well acquainted with the inside activities at the Exchange.”
He shrugged. “I’ve spent every spare moment since my return settling the family’s finances. Naturally, I’ve looked in at the Foreign Funds Room a time or two. Nobody in my position can afford to let bank balances sit idle, despite some labeling it as trade.”
“I’m impressed, Cayle. You detested accounts when your father wanted you to learn.”
Once more he shrugged, yet his show of nonchalance appeared overdone. “Perhaps it was more of not liking the methods of the educator, rather than the subject being taught.”
She shuddered at her recollection of the late duke’s disciplinary methods. “But you’re correct,” she said, pushing away images of birch rods twanging on bare flesh. “Some in our prudish society frown upon a gentleman of your caliber frequenting auction rooms. But, for a woman, it’d be an outrage.”
His eyes fixed upon her, all signs of his earlier fatigue vanished. “I can well imagine.”
“Though legally nothing prevents a woman from owning shares,” she said, assessing his concentration by the tense way he held his long, muscled body. “Visiting members are vetted at the door. Bank managers and jobbers pay eight guineas a year to enter the main Exchange room, yet self-righteous men evict females.”
“So, is it your gender that sees you under threat?”
“Not merely our gender. When the consortium heard we invested in secret, and often did very well, at first they became alarmed. Then, they became angry. Very angry indeed.”
“I can well imagine men abhorring being bested by a female.”
19th Century Early Caroline Bonaparte Murat, Wife and Queen Consort Of Joachim, King Of Naples. Wearing a Grand Parure, or jewelry set of tiara, necklace, earrings etc, of red coral, pearls and diamonds. By Salomon-Guillaume Counis, after Nicholas-Francois Dun.
