My love affair with gloves began shortly after my husband and I joined a re-enactment group who dressed in 1800’s period attire. While looking for ideas for clothing I came across a picture of an outfit that stopped me in my tracks. What was so stunning? Her gloves! This lady’s gloves were the richest shade [...]
Queen Victoria goes into mourning In December of 1861, Queen Victoria’s beloved husband Albert died. Her response to his death would forever change Victorian mourning clothing and customs. It had been the custom for a widow to wear black for a period of one year; other relatives were in mourning for lesser periods, depending on [...]
Pantaloons, drawers, knickers, and bloomers. What do all of these items have in common? During the 1800’s all were adopted by women as a necessary article of clothing. During the early nineteenth century women did not typically wear anything under their skirts and petticoats. However, during the empire period early in the century, women’s clothing [...]
When my husband and I moved to the relatively small town of Prescott Arizona several years ago, I never dreamed that I would soon be spending all my time (and a great deal of money) in an effort to look as though I lived in the late 1800’s. For my husband, the transition was fairly [...]
With the Steampunk subculture recently being featured on the current TV series “Castle”, in the comic strip “Luann”, and in Steampunk-inspired gadgets and machines featured in the current “Warehouse 13” series, Steampunk is poised to emerge as a mainline culture and lifestyle on the world scene. While the movement has its roots in many works [...]
Many of us tend to think “Victorian” whenever we see certain floral prints, or a vintage-looking Valentines card. However, when applying the term to clothing we must follow a very specific set of guidelines. The “Victorian period” of history coincides with the ascension and reign of Queen Victoria from 1870 to 1900. Young and lovely, [...]
Just as most of us will not venture forth from our houses without makeup and earrings on, just so no self-respecting Victorian lady would leave home without a hat. For the purposes of this discussion, we divide the Victorian period into three parts; early (1844-1855), mid (1858-1870) and late 1872-1897 Victorian. Because we are all [...]
Hat pins! There are few accessories a lady wears that are even more fun than they are functional. Although they enjoyed their greatest popularity between the 1880’s and 1920’s, hat pins are very collectable even today because they are often fabulous, and fanciful. For those who dress in period attire, they are also an indispensable [...]
In the early 1800’s, there was not public education as we know it. Wealthy families hired tutors for their children, and for the working-class poor, school was not an option. In the late 18th century a tailor named Thomas Cranfield offered free education for poor children in London. In 1798 Cranfield established a free [...]