The social season: 19th Century's time to party

By | May 27th, 2023|Categories: Entertainment, Regency Era, Victorian culture, Victorian Era|Tags: , , , |

Did you know that if it was 1823 rather than 2023 many of us would be right in the middle of the “social season”? From Jane Austen novels to Bridgerton, it is commonly referred to in stories set in the 19th century, and as I start to make my own plans for what is sure [...]

Edwardian motoring fashions

By | December 8th, 2021|Categories: Edwardian Era, Edwardian Fashion, Fashion, Women's History|Tags: , , |

I recently gave a presentation on women and the Victorian bicycle craze and explored the way that women’s fashion was examined as the popularity of the bicycle. At the end of the presentation, I touched briefly on the next craze on wheels that hit the public, the automobile. I showed a selection of images from [...]

What's in your reticule?

By | November 4th, 2021|Categories: Accessories, Edwardian Era, Edwardian Fashion, Fashion|Tags: , , , , , |

Can you imagine going from function to function with just a small pouch for your things? In the Edwardian era, that is exactly what women did, and they made sure to make a statement even with a tiny bag attached to their wrist. Handbags, reticules, and pouches weren’t as prominent in the Victorian era as [...]

Achieving the Gibson Girl S-silhouette: it's all about the padding

By | August 17th, 2021|Categories: Edwardian Era, Edwardian Fashion, Fashion, Women's History|Tags: , , , |

If there is one thing that visually defines the Edwardian era it is the Gibson Girl and that short-lived but highly distinguishable S-silhouette. The look was a far cry from the silhouette of the Victorian era: a skirt expanding at the waist with a very fitted bodice. Rather than being defined from a front view, [...]

Preparing for an Edwardian-themed event

By | August 30th, 2020|Categories: Edwardian Era, Edwardian Fashion, Style Guides|Tags: , , , , , |

Guess what I did this weekend? Many of our readers will be pleased to know that I rented Somewhere in Time and enjoyed every minute. Though I was quite unsettled by the ending, it is an adorable movie with a great script. And most of all, similar to the experience of watching Sofia Coppola's Marie [...]

Edwardian women fashion: morning, noon, and night

By | August 27th, 2020|Categories: Edwardian Era, Edwardian Fashion, Style Guides|Tags: , , , , , |

The Edwardian Era was a great time for fashion! After the outward social stiffness of the Victorian Era, King VII came onto the stage with a bit of flair and a more relaxed approach, and things slowly started to evolve. With the new century also came a desire for innovation, and designers became increasingly inventive [...]

Femininity in Question: Edwardian Depictions of the New Woman

By | June 22nd, 2020|Categories: Edwardian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , |

By the end of the Victorian Era, society was changing so fast that some people had a hard time keeping up, much less accepting it. From a cultural standpoint, the first two decades saw advances for women that were more rapid than the Western world had ever before seen. The status quo held on tight [...]

Susan La Flesche Picotte: First Native American Female Physician

By | November 13th, 2018|Categories: Victorian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , , |

Early Life Susan La Flesche Picotte was the first Native American female physician. She is remembered for breaking racial and gender barriers. Susan was born in 1865 in the Omaha Indian Reservation, daughter to Chief Joseph (called “Iron Eyes”) and Mary Gale (called “One Woman”). Both parents were of mixed race. The chief knew his tribe [...]

Veterans Day: Recognizing American Women in WWI

By | November 12th, 2018|Categories: Edwardian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , , , , |

While this week we celebrate Veterans Day to honor all who have fought in our country’s wars, it was originally established as Armistice Day in 1919 to recognize and honor those who had recently served in World War One. What was a bit overlooked then, and still sometimes now, was the widespread contributions of women [...]