Suzi: Thanks for sharing the link to your illustrations. The 1798 and 1799 illustration you have is especially interesting, showing that the "patrie" influence of the tricolour was still very evident in French high fashion during the latter part of the Directorie and Counselete in France.
Also by 1844, the gigot sleeves of the late 1820's and 1830's had been reduced to the almost too-tight sleeves of the 1840's. This had filtered down even to the lower middle classes by 1844. Several biographies of Emily Bronte note that she continued to wear the narrower skirts(without petticoats), with a higher, less restrictive bodice of the earlier 1820s and the wider gigot sleeves of the late 1820's and early 1830's(although I doubt these were of the extremely fashionable breath)long after they they had fallen out of fashion. When someone criticized for it, she reportedly replied that she "wished to be as God made me" At one time she chose fabric for a new dress that was patterned in purple with a design resembling streaks of lightning. Wider sleeves and narrower skirts were more practical for roaming the moors and doing household tasks, as Emily did, than the more fashionable but restrictive dresses of the 1840's. Some sleeves and bodices grew so tight, they restricted movement Cindy Abel -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Suzi Clarke Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2006 1:56 AM To: Historical Costume Subject: Re: [h-cost] 1844 London fashion At 05:16 04/11/2006, you wrote: > >From the art I have viewed, it seems that English women's fashions > in the 1840's were transitional between the gigot sleeves of the > Romantic period and the fitted sleeve of the Victorians. Does that > sound correct? Does anyone have images that they can share for the > 1840's, women's gowns and bonnets? What fabrics would have been > appropriate at different socioeconomic levels? What colors? Both > bonnets and gowns. :-) > Thank you so much. > Ann Morton I have several fashion plates from this period on my Fotopic site here http://suziclarke4384.fotopic.net/c382113.html I apologise for the lack of order - I entered them in chronological order, but Fotopic shuffled them when I wasn't looking! I have more, I think, which have not made it to the site, so if you need more mail me off list. Suzi _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
