 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Key
terms:
weighting
mercerizing apartment houses bustle peplum Bodice Polonaise suspenders |
Brief
overview of the time
period: During this period, England's Queen Victoria was marking her 30th year as ruler of England. England was still prospering from its successes of the Victorian period. Economically and militarily stable, England turned inward and focussed on social reform and industrialization. By 1870, the textile industry had replaced its hand looms with power looms resulting in cheaper fabrics. Synthetic dyes replaced the often unreliable natural ones and new finishing techniques such as weighting and mercerizing resulted in longer lasting materials.   Hand Loom- c.1808 First Power Looms- c. 1820s France, on the other hand, was plagued with social upheaval. The Franco-Prussian War ended badly for the French and in 1871, Parisian radicals incited a bloody civil war in the city. Regardless of all the bloodshed, Europe and the United states continued to look to Paris to set the fashions trends. The United States was still trying to recover from its own four year civil war and an effort to reunite the country via railways had begun. Rapid expansion Westward brought droves of settlers from all across the States. In 1872, Montgomery Ward sent its first catalog to farmers all across the nation offering a variety of items for purchase by mail. In the Eastern cities, industrialization and immigration soared creating problems with pollution and overpopulation. In 1870, the first apartment houses were built in New York City. By the 1870s, issues with cultural diversity and laborer exploitation had already begun.  New York City- late 19th century (image courtesy History Central) |
 1870s bustled crinoline
(The Victoria and Albert Museum)  1870s underpinnings.
*Note how the petticoat has been opened to show the bustle underneath. (The University of New Hampshire
Museum)
 Fashionable 1870s Lady in Evening
attire (source unknown)
|
Effects
on Women's Clothing: By the 1870s, the extreme circular cage crinolines of the Victorian period had disappeared or "evolved" into small wire cages that rested only at the back of the waist. As more and more women began to travel, the oversized hoops of the Victorian period became impractical. Women began to take advantage of the at home sewing machine. Clothing now could be made much more quickly and less expensively than ever before. Mass produced trims, which had once been too costly for ladies to afford, were also readily available. Thus, dresses of this period were lavishly trimmed.  3 gowns from the 1870s (Museum of Costume- Bath) Dresses of this period normally consisted of two pieces- a bodice and a skirt. Bodices were worn tight and looked much like jackets. They had either rounded or pointed waistlines and a peplum at the back. Straight sleeves that ended in a bell at the wrist or straight at the elbow were fashionable. Squared, rounded, or V-shaped necklines were popular. Typical skirts of this period consisted of a single skirt with a straight in front and a gathered or pleated extension over the bustle. Some gowns extended a swag over the front of the skirt to give the illusion of an over-skirt. By 1873, the polonaise skirt was highly popular and many underskirts were trimmed extensively. Trains were popular for both day and evening wear.  Simple 1870s day gown with
peplum over bustle (The
Bowes Museum)
Evening gowns were the same in style as day gowns, except a bit more revealing. Sleeveless bodices were popular as were lavish trains on skirts. The corset of the Victorian period remained in style but offered one addition- suspenders. In addition to the corset, women of this period wore a princess line chemise, drawers, two petticoats, the bustle, and a bustle pad. By 1875, a closer fitting skirt and slimmer silhouette called for thinner petticoats and some women abandoned them altogether and sewed a simulated petticoat to the base of their skirts. |
 1870s summer attire for a young lady (Image courtesy Corsets and Crinolines)  1870s era underdress/overdress combination (source unknown) |
Effects
on Children's Clothing: The 1870s saw much travel for children as well as adults. For older boys, the sporting suit consisting of a four-button jacket and trousers became fashionable. Only the top button was fastened and contrasting vests with shawl collars and straight bottoms were worn. Little boys up to the age of four wore frocks or walking dresses- oftentimes covered with a shirt-like apron to keep it clean.   1870s era boy's frock or walking
dress and 1870s era boy's apron
(Home Farm Antiques) and (The Henry Ford Collection)
 1870s era Princess cut girl's dress from The Henry Ford Collection |