Thursday, January 6, 2011

Plates from Godey’s Lady’s Book, March, 1885

Every collection starts somewhere. My somewhere happened to be the March 1885 issue of Godey’s Lady’s Book. I bought this from Abe Books in November 2010. I can’t say that this is the sort of thing I imagined I’d ever collect. I always figured I might end up collecting issues of Vogue from the fifties or sixties –which, to this day, I don’t own a single copy- but nineteenth century magazines? It never occurred to me until I developed an interest in fashion plates.

Being a fan of all things vintage and antique, I really love looking through this, even though I’m a bit scared of handling such old paper. The content is amusing, if a little sad. Looking at the ads for lotions that cure all sorts of skin blemishes and the medicines that cure all feminine maladies, you can see the Victorians weren’t so different from us. They too were impatient, looked for instant and magic cures, and were troubled by their own imperfections.

As for fashion plates, there is one color print. I have to admit this scan isn’t the best since it was difficult to get this on my scanner without tearing the binding. In fact, I did tear the binding a bit, and it still came out like this:

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It’s a bit Spartan as far as color fashion plates go –nothing elaborate, no background even – but I have to say the skirt of the black dress is lovely. It looks really simple until you realize there are yards and yards of ribbon there. I also love the expression on that lady’s face. She looks like she has heard some delightful bit of gossip from the seemingly prim woman.

Here’s the fashion description from the back of the magazine:
Fig. 1.-Walking dress of camel’s hair; the skirt is plaited on the left side. Full tunic, open at the left to show the plaiting, and fastened across with straps and buckles, the front being arranged in loose folds; bouffant in the back. Marguerite bodice, trimmed with pockets and revers of velvet. Coat sleeve, velvet cuff. Velvet hat, trimmed with velvet loops and small wing.
Fig. 2.-Walking costume for lady; the skirt is made of velveteen, trimmed with longitudinal bands of satin, divided by straight tabs of brouche wool goods, plaited up at the bottom; a pointed drapery falls over it, with a straight drapery in the back. Long coat with velveteen vest, trimmed with small silk drops; the sleeves and pockets are trimmed to correspond. Velvet bonnet, trimmed with shrimp pink feathers.
As for black and white illustrations, here is a vaguely exasperated looking Victorian with a fan. Is it me or does she look like she’s itching to hit someone with it?


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Here’s the description from the fashion pages:

Fig. 3.-Evening costume for a young lady. The dress is of pink satin surah, with polonaise looped high upon the sides with loops, and ends of black velvet ribbon, high in the throat, with collar of black velvet; elbow sleeves trimmed with black velvet band and bow, with white lace falling below. Fichu made of piece embroidered Portuguese net, edged all around with trimming lace and fastened with black velvet loops and ends.
Have you wondered what hat you should buy next? Well, if so, this next illustration will be of absolutely no use to you unless you are Mrs. Rachel Lynde. (If you are Mrs. Rachel Lynde, please do stop by. I have some “raspberry cordial” I would love to share with you.)


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The next two prints are a bit of a yawn, in my opinion, so I’m including them solely as a fashion history lesson. First we have women in bustles, features, and high necks. Why ever did this ensemble go out of fashion? I cannot imagine.

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Figs. 26 and 27.-Back and front view of wrap made of black satin merveilleux; the front is ornamented with jet embroidery, also the back of bodice and sleeves, with are large and lined with satin. Black lace bonnet embroidered with jet and trimmed with satin and feathers. Hat of black felt trimmed with velvet and feathers.

And we have more bustles! And more feathers!

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Description from the fashion pages:
Fig. 10.-Evening or Dinner dress; skirt of prune velvet, edged with a beige satin baloyense. Tablier of beige and prune shot silk, edged with lace; back drapery of prune satin surah. Satin surah corsage, with lace plastron, cut square at the neck and filled in with a broche chemisette. Broche sleeves with satin surah and lace cuff.
Fig. 11.-Walking dress of mushroom-colored wool goods. The underskirt is plain, trimmed with two rows of wide hercules braid, with double pointed piece at intervals. The overskirt is draped high upon the sides; long and square in the back, trimmed with braid. Jacket-bodice trimmed with braid around the edge, and rows up the front, buckled across with hanging ends; collar and sleeves trimmed with braid. Hat of felt, trimmed with velvet and feathers.

I don’t think I understood half of figure 10’s description.  But there you go:  The best of American fashion circa 1885.

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