Tag Archives: Victoria and Albert Museum

1800 Jane Austen Style Embroidered White On White Muslin Robe, British. #JaneAusten #RegencyFashion #HistoricalFashion

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1800 ca. White Muslin Gown, British. Empire Style, or high-waisted, gathered under bust to form softly falling skirt, long straight sleeves. Fabric from Bengal, India, made for European market. White cotton embroidered with white cotton thread.
via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.

About 1800 Women’s dress changed dramatically after 1785. The rich fabrics and complicated, formal shapes of the late 18th century gave way to simple, light fabrics that draped easily. These new gowns achieved something of the effect of the simple tunics shown on classical Greek and Roman statues and vases, Muslin embroidered with cotton thread Fabric made in India, gown made in England Given by Miss Frances Vickers Museum no. 444-1888 (2013) Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

By the end of the 18th century, rigidly tailored garments for both men and women were replaced by styles made for ease and comfort, resulting in the neoclassical style of the 1780s. Inspired in part by the statuary of ancient Greece and Rome, the new fashion was epitomised by light cotton gowns falling around the body in an unstructured way, held around the high waist with a simple sash and accompanied by a soft shawl draped around exposed shoulders. This style was ideal for the Indian imports like Kashmiri shawls and Bengali muslin, as used in this embroidered gown. Championed by such influential figures as Emma Hamilton in England and Madame Récamier in France, the so-called ‘Empire’ style catapulted Indian muslin into the forefront of fashion.

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.

1800 ca. White Muslin Gown, British. Empire Style, or high-waisted, gathered under bust to form softly falling skirt, long straight sleeves. Fabric from Bengal, India, made for European market. White cotton embroidered with white cotton thread. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1800 ca. White Muslin Gown, British. Empire Style, or high-waisted, gathered under bust to form softly falling skirt, long straight sleeves. Fabric from Bengal, India, made for European market. White cotton embroidered with white cotton thread. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1800 ca. White Muslin Gown, British. Empire Style, or high-waisted, gathered under bust to form softly falling skirt, long straight sleeves. Fabric from Bengal, India, made for European market. White cotton embroidered with white cotton thread. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1800 ca. White Muslin Gown, British. Empire Style, or high-waisted, gathered under bust to form softly falling skirt, long straight sleeves. Fabric from Bengal, India, made for European market. White cotton embroidered with white cotton thread. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1800 ca. White Muslin Gown, British. Empire Style, or high-waisted, gathered under bust to form softly falling skirt, long straight sleeves. Fabric from Bengal, India, made for European market. White cotton embroidered with white cotton thread. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1800 ca. White Muslin Gown, British. Empire Style, or high-waisted, gathered under bust to form softly falling skirt, long straight sleeves. Fabric from Bengal, India, made for European market. White cotton embroidered with white cotton thread. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1800 ca. White Muslin Gown, British. Empire Style, or high-waisted, gathered under bust to form softly falling skirt, long straight sleeves. Fabric from Bengal, India, made for European market. White cotton embroidered with white cotton thread. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1800 ca. White Muslin Gown, British. Empire Style, or high-waisted, gathered under bust to form softly falling skirt, long straight sleeves. Fabric from Bengal, India, made for European market. White cotton embroidered with white cotton thread. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1800 ca. White Muslin Gown, British. Empire Style, or high-waisted, gathered under bust to form softly falling skirt, long straight sleeves. Fabric from Bengal, India, made for European market. White cotton embroidered with white cotton thread. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
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1820 Short Sleeved Ball Gown of Embroidered Silk Net, British. #RegencyFashion #Historicalfashion #sewing

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1820 Ball Gown of Embroidered Net, British. Silk satin and silk net embroidered with metal and trimmed with silk blonde bobbin lace, hand sewn.  Short-sleeved ball gown comprising of an underdress of silk satin and an overdress of machine-made silk net embroidered with metal and trimmed with blonde bobbin lace. The dress has a low  oval neckline, puffed short sleeves, a wedge shaped front bodice panel,  and a medium high waist. The skirt has a central front panel, wedge shaped panels and the centre back panels are tightly gathered at the waist.

From the Museum Curator: ‘Women saved their most elaborate dresses for special occasions such as balls. Lavish gowns embellished with gold thread or sparkling beads glittered in the artificial light of the dancing room. Thin, gauzy materials created a soft dreamy look. These light materials also prevented the wearer from getting too hot while dancing in stuffy, overcrowded spaces’. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK

1820 1. Front Hem Ball Gown of Embroidered Net, British. Puffed short sleeves, underdress of silk satin, overdress of machine-made silk net embroidered with metal and trimmed with blonde bobbin lace. Low oval neckline, wedge shaped front bodice panel and medium high waist, or, not quite Empire line. collections.vam.ac.uk
1820 2. Back Ball Gown of Embroidered Net, British. Puffed short sleeves, underdress of silk satin, overdress of machine-made silk net embroidered with metal and trimmed with blonde bobbin lace. Low oval neckline, wedge shaped front bodice panel and medium high waist, or, not quite Empire line. collections.vam.ac.uk
1820 3. Side Ball Gown of Embroidered Net, British. Puffed short sleeves, underdress of silk satin, overdress of machine-made silk net embroidered with metal and trimmed with blonde bobbin lace. Low oval neckline, wedge shaped front bodice panel and medium high waist, or, not quite Empire line. collections.vam.ac.uk
1820 4. Bodice Ball Gown of Embroidered Net, British. Puffed short sleeves, underdress of silk satin, overdress of machine-made silk net embroidered with metal and trimmed with blonde bobbin lace. Low oval neckline, wedge shaped front bodice panel and medium high waist, or, not quite Empire line. collections.vam.ac.uk
1820 7. Sleeve. Ball Gown of Embroidered Net, British. Puffed short sleeves, underdress of silk satin, overdress of machine-made silk net embroidered with metal and trimmed with blonde bobbin lace. Low oval neckline, wedge shaped front bodice panel and medium high waist, or, not quite Empire line. collections.vam.ac.uk
1820 5. Hem Ball Gown of Embroidered Net, British. Puffed short sleeves, underdress of silk satin, overdress of machine-made silk net embroidered with metal and trimmed with blonde bobbin lace. Low oval neckline, wedge shaped front bodice panel and medium high waist, or, not quite Empire line. collections.vam.ac.uk
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1700s Late Pair of Pattens, Or Strap On Undershoes, As Used On Rainy Days in Jane Austen and Bridgerton Times. #Bridgerton #JaneAusten #Shoes #BritishHistory #History

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1700s Late Pair of Pattens, English. Iron supports underneath leather and wood. Pattens: Under shoes that strapped onto shoes and worn outdoors and to lift shoes and dresses out the mud. People in Jane Austen’s lifetime would have used these to protect the hems of dresses and legs of men’s pants, plus protect delicate shoes. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.

1700s Late Pair of Pattens, English. Iron supports underneath leather and wood. Pattens: Under shoes that strapped onto shoes and worn outdoors and to lift shoes and dresses out the mud. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
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1800 ca. Bicorn, Or Two Cornered, Man’s Black Silk Hat. #JaneAusten #RegencyEra #HistoricalFashion #Hats

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1800 ca. Bicorn, Or Two Cornered, Black Silk Hat, Possibly Made In Great Britain or France. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.

Definition: Bicorn Or Bicorne: Two cornered, or pointed, hats often worn by military men because the rain would drain off either side of the hat and  away from the body. They could also be easily flattened to carry under arm.  This sort of hat would have been worn by gentlemen around the turn of the century and during Jane Austen’s writing life.

hats_1800 ca. Bicorn silk-hat, possibly-made-in-great-britain-or-france. Victoria and Albert Museum
1
hats_1800 ca. Bicorn silk-hat, possibly-made-in-great-britain-or-france. Victoria and Albert Museum
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1620-1635 ca. Pin For Fastening Clothing, England. #BritishHistory #Sewing

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1620-1635 ca. Pin For Fastening Clothing, Made In Gloucestershire, England, U.K. Pins were a necessity for the fastening of clothing and the arrangement of dress accessories in the 16th and 17th centuries. Their importance for women as a personal requirement and expense is reflected in the term pin-money, the sum originally allocated to meet this essential cost. Ordinary people would have a small number of pins, the wealthy thousands.Pins were carefully looked after and sharpened periodically. They were extracted after use so as not to tarnish the fabric and placed in a pincushion.

. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, U.K.

1620-1635 ca. Pin For Fastening Clothing, Made In Gloucestershire, England, U.K. Pins were a necessity for the fastening of clothing and the arrangement of dress accessories in the 16th and 17th centuries. Their importance for women as a personal requirement and expense is reflected in the term pin-money, the sum originally allocated to meet this essential cost. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, U.K.

Places
Before the mid-16th century the finest pins were imported from France, but their manufacture in England was encouraged under Henry VIII, and an Act for the True Making of Pynnes was passed in 1543, controlling their quality and price. Gloucestershire and London became the main centres of the pin-making industry.

Materials & Making
As the industry developed in the 16th century the major advance in the manufacture of pins came with the use of a steel draw-plate with a graduated series of holes. Wire, which was usually brass, could be drawn through this to any gauge, permitting standardisation of the size of the pins. The heads were made from fine coils of wire that were soldered in place.

Enormous quantities of pins were used for the fastening of clothing. Elizabeth I was supplied with 24,000 ‘pynnes of diverse sorts’ just for her coronation. Pins secured the petticoat in a ruffle above the farthingale (hoops that supported a skirt), and held the curves of the ruff in place around the neck. Several dozen might be used for one ensemble. Such a quantity required large pincushions. These pins were found in written documents that were dated between 1620 and 1635.

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1820-1835 ca. Bridgerton and Jane Austen Style Woman’s Underwear Combination, English. #JaneAusten #RegencyFashion #Bridgerton #Underwear. #HistoricalFashion

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1820-1835 ca. Woman’s Underwear Combination, English. Petticoat: 1820-1829 ca. Cotton with double row of piping round hem. Frontless with looped shoulder pieces. Corset: 1835: Cotton reinforced with whalebone and cording, hand-sewn. Shift Or Chemise:1830s Worn under corset. Drawers: Sheer clinging fabrics needed drawers underneath for modesty. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK.
collections.vam.ac.uk.

1820-1835 ca. Woman's Underwear Combination, English. Petticoat: 1820-1829 ca. Cotton with double row of piping round hem. Frontless with looped shoulder pieces. Corset: 1835: Cotton reinforced with whalebone and cording, hand-sewn. Shift Or Chemise:1830s Worn under corset. Drawers: Sheer clinging fabrics needed drawers underneath for modesty. via Suzi Love suzilove.com Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1820-1835 ca. Woman’s Underwear Combination, English. Petticoat: 1820-1829 ca. Cotton with double row of piping round hem. Frontless with looped shoulder pieces.
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1660-1700 ca. Green Velvet Gaming Purse, Probably French. #Europe #games #Antiques #history

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1660-1700 ca.  Green Velvet Gaming Purse, Probably French. Trimmed with Copper-Gilt Thread, probably French. This purse was designed especially for gaming, or gambling, and would have held money, or counters, and is of a different design to other 17th-century purses. The base is a flat circle and the sides are gathered on a drawstring to stop money or gaming counters from spilling out, and to hide how much a gambler had in the purse. The bag’s plain look was probably a deliberate move to fool other gamblers into thinking the owner had little money.The purse is quite plain, with no embroidery and only a twist of copper gilt thread, gilt being a cheap substitute for gold or silver thread.

Playing and betting on card games was a socially acceptable pastime for the wealthy in the late 17th century. Along with dancing, riding and the theatre, it was an amusement for those classes that did not have to work. A gentleman or lady who did not participate in games such as ‘Quadrille’ and ‘Basset’ would have been considered ‘low-bred and hardly fit for conversation’ according to ‘The Compleat Gamester’, published in 1674.  Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK.

1660-1700-ca. Gaming Purse, probably French. Green velvet trimmed with copper gilt thread. Gaming or gambling with cards popular as a 17th Century Pastime and any gentleman or lady.
1660-1700-ca. Gaming Purse, probably French. Green velvet trimmed with copper gilt thread. Gaming or gambling with cards popular as a 17th Century Pastime and any gentleman or lady.
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1770-1790 Pink Silk Damask Stays, Or Corset, English. #Georgian #Corset #BritishHistory

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1770-1790 ca. Stays, or Corset, English. Pink silk damask, lined with linen, reinforced with whalebone, fingers spread over hips. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveCorsetBook15

corset_1770-1790 ca. Front View. Pink Silk Damask Stays, Or Corset, English. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1770-1790 ca. Front View. Pink Silk Damask Stays, Or Corset, English. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
corset_1770-1790 ca. Side View. Pink Silk Damask Stays, Or Corset, English. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1770-1790 ca. Side View. Pink Silk Damask Stays, Or Corset, English. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
corset_1770-1790 ca. Back View. Pink Silk Damask Stays, Or Corset, English. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1770-1790 ca. Back View. Pink Silk Damask Stays, Or Corset, English. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
corset_1770-1790 ca. Open View. Pink Silk Damask Stays, Or Corset, English. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1770-1790 ca. Open View. Pink Silk Damask Stays, Or Corset, English. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
corset_1770-1790 ca. Side and Back Views. Pink Silk Damask Stays, Or Corset, English. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1770-1790 ca. Side and Back Views. Pink Silk Damask Stays, Or Corset, English. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
corset_1770-1790 ca. Collage View. Pink Silk Damask Stays, Or Corset, English. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1770-1790 ca. Collage View. Pink Silk Damask Stays, Or Corset, English. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1770-1790 Pink Silk Damask Stays, Or Corset, English. #Georgian #Corset #BritishHistory
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1805-1820 ca. Jane austen Era Combination Shoe and Patten, Or Overshoe. #RegencyEra #Fashion #JaneAusten

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1805-1820 ca. Combination Shoe and Patten, Or Overshoe. Raises foot off the ground but still elegant enough to be genteel. Very practical but not to everyone’s taste. When Jane Austen and her family and friends went walking in the country, the ground was often very wet due to England’s high rainfall and snowfall so pattens were used to keep shoes and the hems of clothing out of the mud.

Only one of this pair of shoes survives. It effectively combines shoe and patten (overshoe) in one, so raising the foot off the ground but remaining sufficiently elegant to be considered genteel. This type of shoe was very practical but not to everyone’s taste. In 1840 The Shoemaker described it as going out of fashion partly because it looked ‘masculine for the chaster taste of the wearer’. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk

shoes_1805-1820 ca. Combination Shoe and Patten, Or Overshoe. Raises foot off the ground but still elegant enough to be genteel. Very practical but not to everyone’s taste. In 1840 The Shoemaker described it as going out of fashion partly because it looked 'masculine for the chaster taste of the wearer'. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1805-1820 ca. Combination Shoe and Patten, Or Overshoe. Raises foot off the ground but still elegant enough to be genteel. Very practical but not to everyone’s taste. In 1840 The Shoemaker described it as going out of fashion partly because it looked ‘masculine for the chaster taste of the wearer’. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
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1800 ca. Jane Austen’s Era Man’s Bicorn, Or Two Cornered, Black Silk Hat. #RegencyEra #mensfashion #HistoricalFashion #Hats

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1800 ca. Bicorn, Or Two Cornered, Black Silk Hat, Possibly Made In Great Britain or France. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk. The type of hats worn by the men in Jane Austen’s family around the turn of the century.

Definition: Bicorn Or Bicorne: Two cornered, or pointed, hats often worn by military men because the rain would drain off either side of the hat and  away from the body. They could also be easily flattened to carry under arm. 

1800 ca. Bicorn, Or Two Cornered, Black Silk Hat, Possibly Made In Great Britain or France. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1800 ca. Bicorn, Or Two Cornered, Black Silk Hat, Possibly Made In Great Britain or France. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1800 ca. Bicorn, Or Two Cornered, Black Silk Hat, Possibly Made In Great Britain or France. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1800 ca. Bicorn, Or Two Cornered, Black Silk Hat, Possibly Made In Great Britain or France. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
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