1802 Silk and Metal Dress, Spanish. Brown silk dress with very high waist, decorated bodice, zig-zag hem decoration, long straight sleeves. I can picture Jane Austen and her female friends and family wearing this sort of dress to a dinner party or musical evening. via Metropolitan Museum, NYC, U.S.A. metmuseum.org
Do you need more factual and visual information for your historical fiction? History of fashion, music, peerage and customs in 18th and 19th centuries. Non-fiction series full of gorgeous pictures and engraved fashion plates. A visual history of fashion, music, peerage, social manners and customs from late 1700s to late 1800s, or 18th and 19th centuries.
1875-1899 ca. Side Lacing Maternity Corset, Possibly England Or Germany. Embroidered cotton with metal and boning, possibly used as a maternity corset. This corset is made of cream cotton with red machine-embroidered trim and trimmed with a scallop edged tape. The corset is made in four parts and fastens at the front with a busk and with five white metal loops and studs. At the back are seventeen sets of white metal bound eyelets for threading through a lace. At each side, there are twelves sets of metal bound eyelets to fasten with elasticated laces. There is a vertical opening at the bust which fastens with three bronze gilt press studs, clamped into the fabric, and a diamond pattern impressed on the head which shows on the face of the fabric. On the reverse of the stud is a mark.
The corsets reach from the bust to the middle of the hip descending to a point at about the middle of the belly in the centre front. They are machine-stitched and seem lightly boned, encased and sewn to the face of the fabric. Bound at the top and bottom with grey tape. The breast gussets and side lacing suggest this is a maternity corset. Corsets designed for pregnancy and nursing were advertised throughout the 19th century. This maternity corset is a typical example. It is constructed like a fashionable corset, with boning and a central busk. It has side laces, to enable the wearer to adjust the corset to her changing figure. The cups can be opened for breastfeeding by releasing the press studs. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK.
1810–1850 ca. Corset, American or European. Front lacing, extra wide straps for under a square neckline dress. via Metropolitan Museum, N.Y.C., U.S.A. metmuseum.org Surviving stays, or corsets as they became to be called in the nineteenth century, show that both longline and shorter corsets were worn and that they were made of cotton, silk and sateen. A lot of these corsets were front fastening, plus many were laced at both the front and the back so our aristocratic fictional heroines could indeed dress and undress themselves without the assistance of a maid.
1810–1850 ca. Corset, American or European. Front lacing, extra wide straps for under a
square neckline dress. via Metropolitan Museum, N.Y.C., U.S.A. metmuseum.org
Corsets 1810-1830 History Notes Book 17This book shows how corsets changed to fit well under clothing, give maximum support and comfort. Corsets pushed up breasts and showed off the bust line beneath a square-cut and low-cut neckline as in the early 1800s, or Regency years. Jane Austen and her female and friends wore these corsets.
1810 Couple In Walking Dress, French. Lady in a jade green Redingote, or coat, with paisley skirt, worn over a white dress with sleeves caught up, and hat tied under her chin. Man in a brown tailcoat, tight white pants that button down the sides, black hat and shoes and carrying a walking stick. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
The sort of outfits a lady and gentleman in Jane Austen’s times would have worn while out walking, shopping, or going to visit friends.
Pelisse, or Walking Dress, or Redingote. The Fashion Dictionary description of a Redingote is (réd’ing-göt; red ing gote). Pronounced: red ing gote Woman’s long, fitted coat often cut Princess style and worn open in front to show off the dress underneath. Sometimes cut away in front. Originally made for men with several capes and trimmed with large buttons. French word developed from English words, riding coat. reefer. Single- or double-breasted, fitted, tailored, over-all coat usually made from sturdy fabric but in the British Regency Era a Pelisse was often made from a lighter fabric, such as cotton.
1750-1770 ca. Back Lacing Linen Corset, European. Made of linen, lining of natural linen, chamois leather to strengthen, straps of linen, stiffening of whalebone. Corset: deep point, hip flaps, lacing at the back, Netherlands.
Description: Quilted linen corset with vertical tunnels and with ribs. Whalebone stiffening, point on front, hip flaps, front shoulder straps of fabric plus long narrow linen strips to tie. Lined and has chamois leather at armpits, front point and waist. Linen corset with a deep thickened point at the front, hip flaps, and lacing at the back. Fully quilted with vertical tunnels, with ribs. Thickened tip at the front is slightly triangular. Above for round shape due to wide horizontal rib. Flares from the waist into hip phlangers, or fingers. Lacing eyelets and criss-crossed lacing at the back. Front shoulder straps are of the fabric with very long linen straps with narrower linen strap, total 110 cm, and two horizontal linen loops on top of the backs. There is a narrow linen strip on all seams and along all edges. Armpits and the front point are reinforced with chamois leather and chamois leather is at the waist with straps attached. Via Mode Museum Province of Antwerp
Corsets 1700-1790 History Notes Book 15 This book shows how body wraps, stomachers and stays were worn during the 1700s. They created a variety of fashionable silhouettes to suit the elaborate fashions worn for court and daily life during the 18th Century. Wearing the correct underclothing was essential for keeping garments in place and giving the best fashion display.
1815 Blue Striped Dress, Norway. Empire style, or high-waisted, dress with short puffed sleeves over long straight sleeves and gold trim. I can picture Jane Austen and her female friends and family wearing this sort of dress to an evening event. via Nordiska Museet, Nordic Museum, Stockholm, Sweden. digitaltmuseum.se
1750-155 ca. Writing Cabinet, Probably by Michael Kimmel, Germany. Veneered in kingwood, marquetry of mother-of-pearl, ivory and brass on pine, stained alder or birch. Mounted in gilt brass and with giltwood, carving of cypher of Augustus III. via suzilove.com Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.