I
began to write my stories and to get them published when I was working on an
old manual typewriter. I had seven historical novels published, and the
fanciful view that illustrators had of fashion drove me to join the Costume
Society, from whom I learned what people really had worn in the past. Nowadays
I work on a computer and deliver my work by email, but I can’t say – sigh –
that the women in my covers are more appropriately dressed.
What
has struck me is how much society changed in the l9th Century. We take the
Industrial Revolution for granted, bringing enormous changes in the workplace
and driving men and women off the land to seek work in towns and cities. But
what about the domestic scene? In the early l800s, typhoid and cholera rampaged
through insanitary housing. Transport was by horse, coach or carriage and the
road surfaces were not well maintained – no tarmac for a start. Letters were
franked by local bigwigs until the Penny Post was introduced. At night lighting
was by candle or the moon.
With
the introduction of the steam engine, everything began to change. Within a
comparatively short space of time the domestic scene was altered for the
better. Pipes were laid to bring fresh water into housing areas and to dispose
of waste. Hurray for indoor toilets! Almost overnight cholera and typhoid
disappeared. The wonders of gas lighting and electricity transformed the urban
landscape and the houses of the well-to-do, shortly to be followed by the
inventions of the telephone and the car.
And
don’t let’s forget the bicycle. At the start of this era, an unmarried girl
might take exercise on horseback, but she’d be accompanied by a groom. At the
end, she’d be out and about on her bicycle, on her own, without a chaperon.
Women’s
fashion made some momentous changes during this period. The young Queen Victoria , neck and
shoulders bare, wore a crinoline under a voluminous skirt, and a tiny bonnet on
her head. The boned top would be separate from the skirt. Little boys wore
sailor suits. Little girls dressed similarly to their mothers’ but with tucks
which could be let down as they grew. Queen Victoria dressed in much the same fashion
till the end of her days – well, she did loose the cage of the crinoline and
covered up her neck and shoulders – but everyone else moved onto other styles.
The
crinoline went out. Skirts became slimmer, with a back interest which
eventually led to the bustle. Trains were introduced for high society
functions. I have examined some of these by the famous couturier Worth, and
found to my astonishment that the reason these trains could seem to ‘float’
across the floor was because they were sewn onto a base stitched with rows and
rows of stiff gauzy ruching, so that however heavy the fabric of the train
might be, it did not actually touch the floor.
As
the emphasis shifted from breast to behind, bonnets went out, and tiny hats
came in. Shoulders were only bared at night, but however many courses were
placed on the dinner table, women were still confined in corsets or stays. In
time women started to exercise by playing tennis – still wearing hats! Waists
got smaller; there were instances of a woman’s liver being almost cut into two
by the compression of corsets.
As
skirts became slimmer, hats became larger and the emphasis moved to the famous
leg of mutton sleeves. And then, just as you’d think there was nothing new, we
had a different silhouette; slim of skirt but with a dropped waist and more
emphasis on the bust, as in the Gibson Girl look. It took the first World War
for women to discard their corsets, and when they started to work in offices,
they took to the manual typewriter with gusto.
Do you wonder I joined the Costume Society?
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Veronica
Heley celebrates the publication of her 72nd book in May 2014, having been in the business for forty years. She lives in
Gt Britain and is currently
writing two gentle crime series with a Christian background, set in different
areas of London .
She also writes three short stories a year for the Methodist Recorder. She’s
involved with her local church and community affairs, likes to break for coffee
with friends and does the garden when she has time.
FALSE
DIAMOND, Severn House, March 2014. (starred review from PW)
Bea
Abbot runs a domestic agency whose watchword is discretion and whose clients do
not wear fake diamonds. The wealthy Holland matriarch, Sybil,
is worried that her niece Dilys, is living in fear of her abusive husband. Benton believes he can
get his way by violence, and has enticed Bea’s Member of Parliament son to his
plans. How can she refuse to help her son out? Then Dilys tries to commit
suicide . . . or does she? And what of the black sheep of the family, who may
or may not be on the side of the angels?
Glad I'm not wearing those corsets! sharon wileygreen1(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteWomen's fashion has certainly seen significant changes! Thank you so much for sharing this informative post!
ReplyDeletetexaggs2000 at gmail dot com