1818 Blue Spencer Of Levantine, French. White cotton print dress with ruffled hem, high plumed bonnet and a neck scarf.
Definition Levantine: Stout silk cloth in twill weave. First made in the Levant, a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia.
Definition Spencer: Short jacket, cropped at the waist, worn over a dress, or gown. These close-fitting, tight sleeved, waist length jackets were modeled on a gentleman’s riding coat, but without tails. Delicate and regency dresses provided so little protection from the cold, so over garments were essential for warmth, modesty and good health.
19th Century Leather Travel Trunk, English. #JaneAusten #RegencyEra #travel
The trunk is made of wood and covered with woven canvas. It has leather corners and straps and handles for securing and lifting. The lock plate cover is marked ‘Finnigan’s London’, 18 New Bond Street, London, UK, and there is a Maker’s Brand and a Maker’s Label. There are four removable linen trays with cloth straps and handles. The trunk measures 13 inches high, 20 inches deep, and 36 inches wide.
19th Century Leather Trunk, English. 19th Century Leather Trunk, English. 19th Century Leather Trunk, English. 19th Century Leather Trunk, English. 19th Century Leather Trunk, English. 19th Century Leather Trunk, English. 19th Century Leather Trunk, English. 19th Century Leather Trunk, English.
19th Century Leather Trunk English Wood covered with woven canvas1. 19th Century Leather Trunk, English. Wood covered with woven canvas, leather corners, and lock plate cover marked Finnigan’s London. via Live Auctioneers . liveauctioneers.com
1800s Silver and Carved Mother of Pearl Writing and Desk Set, French. Wax Seal, Dip Pen and Letter Opener in the style that Jane Austen would have used to write her novels and her letters. via Ruby Lane Antiques. rubylane.com
1799-1810 ca. Cotton Muslin Gown, Probably American. White cotton embroidered muslin, probably Bengal, all over sprigged broderie anglaise decoration,short sleeve with three pairs of inside ties to adjust the double-puff, ruffled edge, back tie at neckline and waist, ruched band above the slightly trained hem with scalloped sawtooth border and with cotton bodice lining. via whitakerauction.smugmug.com
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.
The Empire dress which evolved in the late 1790s began as a chemise shift gathered under the breasts and at the neck. Named after the First Empire in France, by 1800 Empire dresses had a very low décolleté, or neckline and a short narrow backed bodice attached to a separate skirt. 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 simple cotton high-waisted dress was worn most days and accessorized according to the importance of the occasion.
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
1800-1815 ca. Fan of Bone and Silk, French. Jane Austen and her family and friends would have carried this style of fan when attending assemblies, musical evenings and balls. Metropolitan Museum New York City, U.S.A. metmuseum.org
1808 January Trio In Half Dress Walking Ensembles, English. Lady on left wearing a pink dress and green coat and carrying a reticule. Lady on right in a white trained dress, long draping shawl and fitted hat. Gentleman in a blue tailcoat, white vest, extra high white cravat, knee breeches, shoes, and black top hat. Fashion Plate via Le Beau Monde. The sort of outfits ladies and gentlemen in Jane Austen’s times would have worn while out walking, shopping, or going to visit friends.
1802 February, 15th. ‘Advantages of Wearing Muslin Dresses.’ during the Regency Era, or Jane Austen’s times. By James Gillray. Fat lady sitting with man and woman at tea table reacts in horror when hot poker from fire falls on her dress. Man sits helplessly while second woman upsets the table. Butler drops plate of muffins and cat scampers away from fire. Painting of Mt. Vesuvius hangs over fireplace. Via Wikimedia Commons commons.wikimedia.org (PD-ART)
1812 Gentleman’s Outfit, French. Brown overcoat, or Redingote, with front pockets, cream Drap trousers buttoned at the ankle, knotted kerchief, top hat and holding a cane. Fashion Plate via suzilove.com and Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien. By 1812, men no longer wore complicated styles and extravagant fabrics. Men’s fashions had simplified and these practical and relaxed clothing items were the sort worn by Jane Austen’s male family and friends when out and about in town or on their daily excursions.
Definition Redingote 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. 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. Definition Drap: French equivalent for the English word cloth or stuff and generally applied to fabrics of wool or silk.
1800-1809 ca. Colorful Day Dresses, Designed by Jean-Francois Bony, France.
Though white was the most fashionable color, some designers, such as Jean-Francois, advocated greater use of color in women’s fashion. He was primarily a fabric designer and flower painter and his designs frequently made use of his ornate and colorful fabric designs.
