Updated on 22 Jan 00
The following information was gathered during research for clothes worn by ordinary women around 1805-15. Sources include contemporary illustrations, other net sites - the best are listed below - but a really interesting source is contemporary cartoons. Cartoonists presumably were attempting to portray people instantly recognisable to the readership, and often focus on the "working class" rather than the upper classes.
Examples of working class clothes in collections and museums seem rare. Of course, poor people did not preserve a wardrobe of clothes - they wore them out, and then cut them down for children or sold them on to really poor people. If you can get it, the following book provides an excellent review of working clothes in a small section of the US - it is every good for detail on construction and sewing:
Gehret, Ellen J., 1976: Rural Pennsylvania Clothing. Liberty Cap Books, Pennsylvania, 309pp
A typical cartoon - a naval press gang a work in England but check the attire of the crowd.
La Mode bagatelle pattern - up market for working ladies but a complete wardrobe. Gets a vote of approval from several sites on the net. Pattern available over the net.
The Eagle's View patterns below are American but research over the last several months shows them to be appropriate for England as well. In Australia, these are available from the Green River Rifle Works, Adelaide (see my links page).
Chemise pattern. Easy to make but:
1. A deeper neck scoop at the front probably works better
in the larger sizes.
2. Arm gussets on the larger sizes are too small, causing the
material to pull between the bottom of the arm opening and the top of the shoulder.
Increase gusset size by 5cms in both directions to fix it.
3. Use wider bias tape than recommended at the neck opening
as that seam comes apart easily - a narrow neck ruffle (pattern supplied)
might be the best option to strengthen the seam but I have not tried that
yet.
4. The length of the pattern could well be too short
for most modern ladies bought up on weetbix - check before you cut.
Skirt. Easy to make but again be careful about lengths. The skirt can only be the length of the width of the material selected (if the cutting instructions are followed). Has an apron as well.
http://www.lamodebagatelle.com/
http://heyerlist.org/garderobe/
(maybe the best start point but there are many good sites if you are interested
in upper class wear)
http://www.wingeo.com/
(very informative on working peoples' clothes, but look under the 18th
Century section)
The
Costume Ring
(lots of good surfing)
http://www.songsmyth.com/introduction.html
Comments and additional information would be most welcome - please contact me at: c-d-s-a-d-l-e-r(at)webone.com.au (without the dashes)
David SadlerReturn to home
Rifleman
2nd Battalion 95th (Rifle) Regiment
