Philadelphia, January 1850
GODEY'S LADY'S BOOK
Philadelphia, January 1850
THE French have long been considered the arbiters of Fashions in dress; and so exclusively has public attention been directed to Paris for the origin of all changes in costume, that people have almost forgotten the other nations of Europe had tailors, mantuamakers, and milliners. We are intending, in this volume of the Lady's Book-, to give illustrations of the costumes of ladies in the Old World – in Old World times. These ancient modes are yet retained in many countries, as we shall point out. As the costume of the French ladies has been pretty fully illustrated in the last volume of the Lady's Book, we now begin with
Fashion seems to have been more than usually capricious in the fancies she has displayed in the adornment of the natives of Germany, and singular are the descriptions given by old travelers of their curious and often splendid attire.
Pomponius Mela, in his ': Description of the Ancient Germans," iii. 17, says: "The rich wore a garment, not flowing loose, as the Sarmatians and Porthians, but girt close, and showing the shape of every limb; they also wore the skins of wild beasts; those bordering on the Rhine without choice or nicety; those in the interior parts were more curious in the selection, as not having acquired by commerce a taste for other apparel. They chose particular beasts; and, having stripped off the furs, variegated them with spots and pieces of the skins of' marine animals, which the exterior parts of the ocean and seas, unknown to the Romans, produced. The dress of the women was not different from that of the men, except that the women frequently wore linen robes, and variegated them with purple; not extending part of the upper garment into sleeves, but leaving the whole arms and part of the bosom here."
In Montfaucon's "Monarchie Francaise," is a splendid print of Isabelle of Bavaria, wife of Charles VI. She is represented as being very fond of rich and costly attire, and is accused by Brantome of teaching the French ladies great extravagance in dress. Certainly, in the picture to which we allude (shown below) , her majesty is magnificently habited; covered with a profusion of jewels, and wearing the tall head-dress which was the fashion in France for so many after years, and was called a horned cap. The robe worn by Isabelle is adorned with embroidery and jewels; as is also her train, which is immensely long, trimmed with ermine, and supported by two ladies, whose heads are also covered with immense caps, still higher than the queen's. No hair is visible, and her majesty's coiffure is surmounted by a crown. Her shoes are long, and very pointed.
The two heads given beneath are copied from the "Nuremberg Chronicle," of the year 1493.
The peasants of Germany are celebrated for wearing gay-colored petticoats, exceedingly full and short; strange-looking head-dresses; and blue, red, or pink stockings. Their coiffures have been long celebrated for their immense height and grotesque appearance. The horned cap. for so many years la grand mode in France. and England, was imported from Germany. Small skull-caps, which entirely conceal the hair, are very generally worn to the present day.
The better class of peasants have curiously-shaped caps; some of black satin or velvet; others of lace or muslin, plaited and stiffened like wings; the upper part, of colored silk, resembles a skull-cap, and is ornamented behind with two large bows. The hair, when these head-dresses are worn, is quite flat upon the forehead; but when the skull-cap is used without the two wings underneath, curls adorn the forehead. The gowns are high up to the throat, which is frequently encircled with a broad necklace or band. The women are fond of gaudy colors, and often wear dark blue or scarlet shoes.
In Wirtemberg, a black jacket is generally worn over the laced boddice. It has long sleeves to the wrist; and is often left open to the waist, so as to show the bright-colored vest beneath. The petticoats scarcely hang over the knees; they are very full, and have a colored border round the bottom. The chemise is often tied at the throat with a broad ribbon; sometimes it has long sleeves and a worked corsage. The boddice is usually scarlet, laced over a blue stomacher with yellow; and the wide petticoat is white, with a broad border of blue and yellow. Stockings are worn of all colors; also girdles or belts. The coiffures are various: sometimes a little black skull-cap is seen, with a bow at the top; or the hair hangs in long plaits behind, and a largo gilt comb ornaments the top of the bead. Frequently, however, an immense cap of black lace is worn, and forms a fan that stretches far beyond the face. The crown is merely two rolls of scarlet silk, with ribbons hanging from it.
Near Frankfort, the peasants are not dressed in such gaudy colors as many of those already described. The women have full petticoats, frequently of black, brown, or some dark color. The boddice is laced with crimson, so as to show the chemise beneath, and ornamented with silver buttons. The shift-sleeves are tied in at the elbow. A colored handkerchief covers the neck; a crimson sash hangs from the girdle; and a little blue cap conceals all the hair, except the chignon behind.
A very singular-shaped, high, flat cap, which somewhat resembles a plate set up on its edge, is peculiar to the women of this district.
The Saxon peasants in the neighborhood of Dresden have a curious and variegated costume. The women wear dark petticoats, white jackets, sleeves, and aprons; and a scarlet handkerchief pinned over the neck, the ends hanging down from under the jacket. No hair is visible. Frequently, the coiffure is a tight cap of crimson, with a white border round the face. An immense frill, like a ruff, surrounds the neck; in front, it is tied with a large blue bow, and the cap behind is adorned with one equally immense, of crimson. Another coiffure is a colored handkerchief, tightly pinned round the head, and ornamented at the back with large bows, Colored shoes or slippers are often seen.
The coiffure of the Saxons, near Altenburg, is very singular. First of all, a broad band encircles the forehead, nearly touching the nose; thence rises a long black funnel, covered with silk or velvet; gradually tapering to the point, which is small, and ornamented with a frill. No ribbons adorn this coiffure; but a broad black band holds it firmly upon the head; and, passing under the chin, leaving only the nose, eyes, and mouth visible, is fastened with an enormous rosette of large bows, also black.
This head-dress is probably the remains of the German fashion in coiffures, which were formerly so celebrated for their height and extraordinary shape. When abroad, the women often tie a gay-colored handkerchief or shawl over the cap, and let the ends hang down behind. Altogether, this costume is the nest curious of any in Germany; the excessive shortness of the petticoats, the bright colors composing the dress, and the high caps, form a tout ensemble that is very remarkable to foreigners.
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