Tag Archives: Victoria and Albert Museum

1805-1810 ca. Jane Austen Style, High-Waisted, White Muslin Evening Dress, Possibly French. #JaneAusten #RegencyFashion #sewing

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1805-1810 ca. High-Waisted White Muslin Evening Dress, Possibly Made in France.  Embroidered in white cotton in French knots, with collars, border, and vertical stripe in chain stitch with a design down the front of vine tendrils and acorns. Low square neck with draw-cord, ‘stomacher’ front closing over inner lining flaps. Straight cut skirt gathers at back and fastens with tape tie. Long oval train, short sleeves with ‘vandyke’ trimming.  An evening ensemble typical of the early 19th century love of Neo-classical where this high-waisted dress with short sleeves copies Greek and Roman shape and dress as seen in sculptures from the time. White muslin fabric was usually imported from India but in the case, made in Europe to imitate Indian materials.  via  Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK.  collections.vam.ac.uk. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1805-1809

Definition Van Dyke Points: V-shaped lace and trims named after a 17th Century Flemish painter, Sir Anthony Van Dyck, known for painting V-shaped lace collars and scalloped edges on sitters.

Definition Empire Style:  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.

1805-1810 ca. High-Waisted White Muslin Evening Dress, Possibly Made in France. #Regency #JaneAusten #Fashion https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1805-1809
1805-1810 ca. High-Waisted White Muslin Evening Dress, Possibly Made in France. #Regency #JaneAusten #Fashion https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1805-1809
HN_26_D2D Fashion Women 1805-1809 https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1805-1809
Fashion Women 1805-1809 History Notes Book 26 What did Jane Austen and friends wear? https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1805-1809

1800s Early Bridgerton and Jane Austen Style Lace Up Half Boots, British. #Bridgerton #RegencyFashion #Shoes #JaneAusten

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1800s Early Women’s Half Boots, British, as worn by Jane Austen and her family and the Bridgerton ladies. Walking was encouraged for women so lace-up half-boots became a popular replacement for flimsy slippers for outdoor wear. Made of nankeen, a durable, yellow-colored, natural cotton from China or from colored leather. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk

In Bridgerton and Jane Austen years, people were encouraged to partake in outdoor pursuits to maintain good health so walking became a daily pastime. Fragile slippers were worn for balls and evening events but for walking sturdier shoes were needed, In the early 1800s, these were typically made of leather, had a very small heel, slightly rounded toes and were laced up on the top.

1800s Early Women's Half Boots, British. Walking was encouraged for women so lace-up half-boots became a popular replacement for flimsy slippers for outdoor wear. Made of nankeen, a durable, yellow-colored, natural cotton from China or from colored leather. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk
HN_27_D2D_fashwomen1810-1814 https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashion1810-1814
HN_27_D2D_fashwomen1810-1814 https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashion1810-1814

1725-1730 ca. Gold Double-Opening Snuffbox With Miniature Portraits, France. #antiques #snuffbox #GeorgianEra #France

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1725-1730 ca. Gold Double-Opening Snuffbox, France. Two tortoiseshell pique panels and two miniatures inside, of Louis XV of France and his wife Marie Leczinska. Made by Jean Baptiste Massé, painter.

1725-1730 ca. Gold Double-Opening Snuffbox, France. Two tortoiseshell pique panels and two miniatures inside, of Louis XV of France and his wife Marie Leczinska. Made by Jean Baptiste Massé, painter.

Varicolored gold seascape of dolphin and ship with beach littered with shells and rocks, plus ruins, birds,
and an island. Inside the box are miniature portraits of Louis XV of France and his wife Marie Leczinska. It has been suggested that the box commemorates the birth of the ‘dauphin’ Louis in 1729, the royal couple’s fourth child, and first son, heir to the throne. A few elements contradict this suggestion: the dolphin does not bear any regal symbol such as a crown, the marks that date the box indicate that it was initiated before the birth of Louis, when the arrival of a son was unknown.
It is most probable that these delicate panels, together with the miniature of Louis XV, date from 1725-1730 and have been associated later into this gold snuffbox, and a later miniature of Queen Marie Leczinska.The miniature of the king may have been painted by Jean-Baptiste Massé – he is recorded as supplying miniatures of the king for boxes intended as diplomatic gifts from 1720-26-, or by his lesser known contemporary Jean-Baptiste Ducanel.

The lid is hinged to reveal a miniature, under glass, of Marie Leczinska, queen of France, probably 19th century or heavily restored, wearing a cloak of blue embroidered with gold fleurs-de-lis and lined with ermine overa lace-trimmed dress of red embroidered with gold. In the base is a panel of tortoiseshell pique with a cornucopia of small shells, also hinged to reveal a contemporary miniature of Louis XV of France in armour, wearing a whitestock and the sash of the Order of the Holy Ghost. The gold box, probably early 19th century or later, has plain walls, reeded borders, and a double thumbpiece.

Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world’s great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.

via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.

Snuff Boxes: Decorative boxes of all types were prized, especially in the 18th Century when everything decorative and extravagant was in vogue and taking a pinch of snuff was fashionable. Snuff is made from ground or pulverized tobacco leaves, flavorings added, and then a pinch of snuff is placed on the back of the hand and sniffed.

HN_11_D2D_Craftsmen created containers of precious metals, leather, silks, and decorated them with jewels to make exquisite and expensive items as well as practical carrying cases. books2read.com/suziloveBoxesCases

1818-1823 ca. Silk Turban As Worn In Jane austen and Bridgerton Times. #Bridgerton #JaneAusten #RegencyEra #HistoricalFashion #Hats

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1818-1823 ca. Turban, London, U.K. Silk, silk thread, paper, cotton, wire,and hand-sewn. Cap is gathered and full to mimic the shape of a turban which became popular evening wear around 1820 when ‘exotic’ was fashionable.

1818-1823 ca. Turban, London, U.K. Silk, silk thread, paper, cotton, wire,and hand-sewn. Cap is gathered and full to mimic the shape of a turban which became popular evening wear around 1820 when 'exotic' was fashionable.

Silk, silk thread, paper, cotton, wire and hand-sewn. A full cap of white satin gathered into a headband in imitation of a turban. The crown is inset with white net embroidered in circles with white silk thread. The headband is of white satin with three horizontal tucks and edged with white silk plush. Trimmed on one side with artificial flowers made of wired green paper leaves and white muslin rosebuds. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, U.K.

Early 19th-century etiquette required a lady’s head to be covered at all times, even with evening dress. A cap such as this one, gathered and full to suggest the shape of a turban, was popular for evening wear about 1820. The Romantic movement created an interest in the dress of non-European countries, particularly North Africa and the Middle East. Decorative motifs and accessories were borrowed to make current fashions more ‘exotic’. Although knowledge of the proper proportions and construction of a turban was not available to British milliners, the overall shape was approximated for the most fashionable headwear.

HN_28_D2D_Fashion Women 1815-1819 https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1815-1819
Fashion Women 1815-1819 History Notes Book 28 https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1815-1819

1810-1820 ca. Machine Knitted White Cotton Pantaloons, Probably Military, As Worn in Jane Austen and Bridgerton Times. #Bridgerton #JaneAusten #RegencyFashion #military

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1810-1820 ca. Pantaloons, Probably Military, British. The type of pants worn by men in Jane Austen’s times when wars were being fought all over the world, especially in Europe. Machine-knitted white cotton decorated with cream silk braid on sides and fronts as seen on Hussar uniforms. Cut to fit the leg and button bottom at waist with three buttons. Front fall buttons over five buttoned fly, two horizontal pockets at front below waistband and fob pocket in waistband. Four metal buttons for braces, two front and two back. Cotton ‘puff’ centre back waist and two linen tapes for waist adjustment. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.

Pair of men’s pantaloon trousers made of machine-knitted white cotton and decorated with cream silk braid applied down the sides and on the fronts. This imitates the hussar uniforms of the period and appeared on fashionable men’s dress. The pantaloons are cut to fit the leg and button at the bottom with three buttons. The pantaloons fasten at the front with front falls buttoning over a five buttoned fly. There are two horizontal pockets at the front below the waistband and a fob pocket in the waistband. There are four metal buttons for braces, two at the front and two at the back. These probably are original. There is a cotton ‘puff’ at the centre back waist and two linen tapes for waist adjustment.

Pantaloons also brought the glamour of military uniform into men’s fashionable dress, especially when teamed with Hessian boots. Uniforms worn by the various armies during the Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815) were often very colourful and lavishly adorned with braid and tassels. It is hardly surprising that some of these attractive trimmings should have infiltrated fashion, particularly when nationalistic feelings ran high. Civilian pantaloons were often ornamented with military-style braid that was applied in a vertical band of topside Russia braiding. They were not, however, generally decorated on the front, which suggests that this pair was for military use. The silk braid is applied in the form of an Austrian knot, which was a popular motif on pantaloons of the light cavalry such as the hussars and light dragoons.

1810-1820 ca. Pantaloons, Probably Military, British. Machine-knitted white cotton decorated with cream silk braid on sides and fronts as seen on Hussar uniforms. Cut to fit the leg and button bottom at waist with three buttons. Front fall buttons over five buttoned fly, two horizontal pockets at front below waistband and fob pocket in waistband. Four metal buttons for braces, two front and two back. Cotton 'puff' centre back waist and two linen tapes for waist adjustment. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1810-1820 ca. Pantaloons, Probably Military, British. Machine-knitted white cotton decorated with cream silk braid on sides and fronts as seen on Hussar uniforms. Cut to fit the leg and button bottom at waist with three buttons. Front fall buttons over five buttoned fly, two horizontal pockets at front below waistband and fob pocket in waistband. Four metal buttons for braces, two front and two back. Cotton 'puff' centre back waist and two linen tapes for waist adjustment. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1810-1820 ca. Pantaloons, Probably Military, British. Machine-knitted white cotton decorated with cream silk braid on sides and fronts as seen on Hussar uniforms. Cut to fit the leg and button bottom at waist with three buttons. Front fall buttons over five buttoned fly, two horizontal pockets at front below waistband and fob pocket in waistband. Four metal buttons for braces, two front and two back. Cotton 'puff' centre back waist and two linen tapes for waist adjustment. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
HN_23_D2D_Fashion Men 1800-1819 https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionMen1800-1819
HN_23_D2D_Fashion Men 1800-1819. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionMen1800-1819

1890 Machine Stitched Brown Twill Corset, England or Germany. #VictorianEra #BritishHistory #Corset

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1890 Cotton Twill Corset, England or Germany. Machine stitched with front hooks and back lacing and made in two parts. Brown corset with the bones covered with a darker cotton twill, black fabric covered busks and a trimming of black machine-made cotton lace. Lined with white cotton twill and the top and bottom are bound with reddish brown tape.

The front fastens with a busk and the backs are provided with metal eyelets for a lace. The corset is hip length, curving to a rounded point in the front and less deeply at the back. The bones are close-set and splayed out at the bust and hips, and at the tops are trimmed with fancy stitching in cream. There is a band of dark brown cording at the top, covering the breasts. At the waist there is a V-shaped band in darker brown stitching. With metal fastenings. via  http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O351699/corset-unknown/

Corsets 1880-1900 History Notes Book 20 This book shows how a fashionable silhouette became of paramount importance and how a well-fitted corset became a fashion essential. As well as a decorative fashion item,  tight lacing gave a narrow waist and the desired feminine form under clothing. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveCorsetBook20

1890 Cotton Twill Corset, England or Germany. Front hooks and back lacing. Cotton twill, machine-made cotton lace, lined with cotton twill, boned and metal. via suzilove.com Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
HN _20_D2D_Corsets 1880-1900Book 20 https://books2read.com/SuziLoveCorsetBook20
HN _20_D2D_Corsets 1880-1900Corsets 1880-1900 History Notes Book 20 https://books2read.com/SuziLoveCorsetBook20

1836-1840 ca. Floral Print Cotton Dress With Silk Satin Piping. #RomanticEra #Fashion #BritishHistory

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1836-1840 ca. Floral Print Cotton Dress With Silk Satin Piping, English. Cotton printed in soft pink, red, white, and green floral motif on light brown, edged with green silk satin piping and lined with linen and cotton. Sleeves tightly gathered, loose at elbow, skirt gathered from tight fitting bodice edged with green satin piping. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.From the Museum: Soft colours and floral patterns are a distinctive feature of many 1830s day dresses. Here, pink, red and white flowers harmonise with the brown ground and green piping. The construction of the sleeves is also interesting as they are tightly gathered at the top and loose around the elbow. This accentuates the slope of the shoulder and the tightness of the wrist.

1836-1840 ca. Day Dress Of Printed Cotton, English. Printed in soft pink, red, white and green floral motif on light brown, edged with green silk satin piping, lined with linen and cotton and sleeves tightly gathered, loose at elbows, skirt gathered from tight fitting bodice. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1836-1840 ca. Day Dress Of Printed Cotton, English. Printed in soft pink, red, white and green floral motif on light brown, edged with green silk satin piping, lined with linen and cotton and sleeves tightly gathered, loose at elbows, skirt gathered from tight fitting bodice. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1836-1840 ca. Day Dress Of Printed Cotton, English. Printed in soft pink, red, white and green floral motif on light brown, edged with green silk satin piping, lined with linen and cotton and sleeves tightly gathered, loose at elbows, skirt gathered from tight fitting bodice. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1836-1840 ca. Day Dress Of Printed Cotton, English. Printed in soft pink, red, white and green floral motif on light brown, edged with green silk satin piping, lined with linen and cotton and sleeves tightly gathered, loose at elbows, skirt gathered from tight fitting bodice. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1836-1840 ca. Day Dress Of Printed Cotton, English. Printed in soft pink, red, white and green floral motif on light brown, edged with green silk satin piping, lined with linen and cotton and sleeves tightly gathered, loose at elbows, skirt gathered from tight fitting bodice. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1836-1840 ca. Day Dress Of Printed Cotton, English. Printed in soft pink, red, white and green floral motif on light brown, edged with green silk satin piping, lined with linen and cotton and sleeves tightly gathered, loose at elbows, skirt gathered from tight fitting bodice. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
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1836-1840 ca. Day Dress Of Printed Cotton, English. Printed in soft pink, red, white and green floral motif on light brown, edged with green silk satin piping, lined with linen and cotton and sleeves tightly gathered, loose at elbows, skirt gathered from tight fitting bodice. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
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1836-1840 ca. Day Dress Of Printed Cotton, English. Printed in soft pink, red, white and green floral motif on light brown, edged with green silk satin piping, lined with linen and cotton and sleeves tightly gathered, loose at elbows, skirt gathered from tight fitting bodice. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
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1660-1700 ca. Green Velvet Gaming Purse For Holding Money, Probably French. #History #France #Gambling

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1660-1700 ca. Gaming Purse, Probably French. Green velvet trimmed with copper-gilt thread. Gaming or gambling with cards popular 17th-century pastime and any gentleman or lady not playing games like Quadrille and Basset would have been considered ‘low-bred and hardly fit for conversation’ according to ‘The Compleat Gamester’, published in 1674. Typically, gaming purses had flat, circular bases with sides gathered on a drawstring. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.

1660-1700 ca. Gaming Purse, Probably French. Green velvet trimmed with copper-gilt thread. Gaming or gambling with cards popular 17th-century pastime and any gentleman or lady not playing games like Quadrille and Basset would have been considered 'low-bred and hardly fit for conversation' according to 'The Compleat Gamester', published in 1674. Typically, gaming purses had flat, circular bases with sides gathered on a drawstring. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
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1830 ca. Quilted Buff Canvas Corset, English. #Corset #RomanticEraFashion #BritishHistory #Underclothing

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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       

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

HN_18_D2D_Corsets 1830-1850
HN_18_D2D_Corsets 1830-1850. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveCorsetBook18

1830-1835 ca. Canary Yellow Leather and Silk Slippers, British. #RomanticEra #Shoes #Fashion

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1830-1835 ca. Canary Yellow Leather and Silk Slippers, British. Silk satin lined, kid leather and linen. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.

1830s Shoes: Producing different shoes for right and left feet started around 1830 in France. In these first attempts, little paper labels on the insoles of the shoes indicated left and right. However, the shoes were still made on straight lasts with no differentiation between the left and right foot. By the end of the 19th century, producing left and right shoes had become common as shoemakers then worked with combinations of sole and vamp cuts tailored to fit either the right or the left foot. The first steps towards the mechanisation of shoemaking were taken during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1810, engineer Marc Brunel developed a machinery that could mass-produce nailed boots for the soldiers of the British Army. But after the end of the war in 1815, manual labour became cheap, and the demand for military shoes declined. The industrialization of shoemaking began around 1830.

1830-1835 ca. Canary Yellow Silk Slippers, British. Silk satin lined, kid leather and linen. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
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