Philadelphia, March 1850
GODEY'S LADY'S BOOK
Philadelphia, March 1850
COSTUMES OF ALL NATIONS.
In our January number, we gave the " Toilet of Germany," with illustrations of the strange freaks of fashion in that land of the old Teutonic race. Now we will, in accordance with the season, turn to snowy mountains and glittering icebergs – to the land of the czars, the cold and dreary clime of the north – and give
THE TOILET OF RUSSIA.
As may be supposed, in so severe and frozen a country as Russia, skins and furs form two of the principal articles of clothing. The ancient dress of the men was a kind of swaddling coat of skins, or of coarse linen, lined with skins, furs, or cloth. Round their waists they twisted a colored shawl; they wore trousers and boots, and allowed their beards to grow very long. Of later years, the men, however, have adopted the dress usual among the other nations of Europe, and beards are but rarely seen. Their clothes are generally made of the richest materials they can afford to procure.
The ancient dress of the women, the reverse of that of the men, was as short and as tight as decency would allow; and it continues much the same among the lower classes to this day. In some respects, it resembles the costume of the Highland women, and is as gaudy as possible, and much ornamented. The petticoat is of striped plaid, very scanty in width and length; the jacket is usually of a different color, and the head is adorned with a white cloth, which is wrapped round it. All, however, who can afford it, ornament their dress with gold lace and jewels.
During the season of festivals in Russia, in spite of snow, ice, and severe cold, the wives of the wealthy tradesmen drive about in droskies, with riches upon their persons "enough," as Rodrigo says, "to corrupt a votarist." Their caps are manufactured of matted gold, pearls, and other precious stones;, and the richest Turkish and Persian shawls, and most brilliant diamond ear-rings are often seen. But, however costly the materials, they endeavor, to a certain degree, to preserve the national costume, of which the jacket forms a principal feature. The shawl is worn in a peculiar and very graceful manner; it is thrown over the headdress, and falls in elegant folds down to the feet.
The ladies of high rank follow the French and English fashions, and wear a profusion of ornaments.
Furs constitute a principal article of dress among the upper orders, and the most expensive are the most admires. The lower ranks are, of course, obliged to content themselves with the skin of any animal they can procure, and envelop their persons in them merely as a defense against the inclemency of the weather.
The manner in which the lower orders clothe their feet and legs indicates great simplicity and antiquity: their shoes are made of" the matted bark of trees, and their legs covered with bandages of woolen cloth, bound on with ligatures of the same material, very similar to sandals. These thongs, however, do not, of course, add to the beauty of the ankle; and it is probably in consequence of these numerous bandages (which are, perhaps, necessary to defend the legs and feet from the cold) that many writers remark the large size and clumsy shape of the limbs of the Russian peasants, male and female.
It may not be uninteresting to our readers to add the costume of a people that inhabit a small hamlet in Siberia: the account is taken from the travels of M. l'Abbe Chappe d'Auteroche. " The dress of the women of this tribe" (the Wotiaks), says the writer, " is most singular. They wear a shift of coarse linen, slit in front like s man's shirt, and hemmed up each side of the opening with thread or worsted of different colors; there is also a little ornament of a triangular figure wrought on the right side of the shift. Their gown is woolen, and bears a great resemblance to the habit of the Jesuits in college; the sleeves of the upper gown are slit in the middle to give passage to the arms, and the lower part generally hangs down. This gown, which reaches to the legs, is fastened merely by a girdle, curiously wrought. They wear, also, coarse' cloth stockings and sandals, like the Russians.
Their head-dress is very remarkable. they first wrap their heads m a towel, over which they fasten, with two strings, a kind of helmet, made of the bark of a tree, and ornamented in front with apiece of cloth and with copecs; the helmet is then covered with a handkerchief, wrought with thread or worsted of various colors, and edged with a fringe. This head-dress is above a foot high. The hair is divided into two tresses, which fall down upon the shoulders, with a necklace like that worn by the Tartars."
The Kamtschatkians, though belonging to Russia, have a different dress; and, being a very uncivilized people, residing in a wretched, dreary country, destitute of culture, their costume is more fitted for warmth and comfort than for the display of elegance, variety, or taste. They still wear the skins of dogs, deer, sea and land animals, and even the skins of birds. Very often all these are sewn together, forming a tout ensemble as ugly as it is extraordinary. Their upper garments are made in two ways. Sometimes the skins of which they are formed are of an equal length; at others, they are left long behind, like a train, with wide sleeves that reach to the knees; and a hood, which, in bad weather, they put underneath their caps: there is an opening in this dress just large enough to pass the head through, and round it they sew the skins of dogs' feet, with which to protect their faces in cold weather. The skirts and sleeves of this dress are ornamented with a border of white dog-skins, and others of different colors, sewn together in patterns. They generally wear two coats; the under one with the hair inwards, the other side dyed with alder; and the outer one with the hair uppermost. For this latter garment they use black, white, or speckled skins, the hair of which is much esteemed.
This is the upper garment of both men and women; but the. latter also wear very wide and short trousers, and a waistcoat tied round the body. Their hats are made of birch, bark, or plaited grass. The women use a white paint, made of rotten wood, and a red paint, made from a sea plant boiled in seal's fat, which they rub over their faces; they also were formerly much addicted to the wearing of perukes, some weighing ten pounds each.
A veil is often thrown over their faces when they go abroad; and though both men and women wrap their feet and legs in bark, both the Cossac and Kamtschatkian petit - maitres, own in their best dress, wear buskins of peculiar elegance; and if an unmarried man appears in them when visiting his friends, it is immediately concluded that he is about paying his addresses to some fur-clad maiden. The sole of these buskins is of white seal-skin, the upper part of fine white leather, made from white dog-skins; and the part which adorns the legs is of dressed leather or dyed seal- skin, beautifully embroidered.
The inhabitants of Kasan, another province of Russia, wear a dress that somewhat resembles that of the Russians. The Tartars who live in Kasan have a woolen jacket, which is bound round the waist with a girdle; over this is a long, flowing outer robe. They always have boots on their feet; and they shave their heads, except on one place on the back part, which they cover with a small piece of leather, They wear a cap edged with fur.
The women's dress is much the same as the men's, only they place the girdle above the robe; their cap is shaped like a sugar-loaf, and covered with glass beads, which they consider as precious as we do jewels. A large piece of cloth, also ornamented with beads, is fastened to the back of the cap, and hangs down below the waist. The young girls are not allowed to wear caps; they only bind their hair with a fillet of ribbon.
The Kalmuc Tartars wear a round bonnet, with a border of fur, in the Polish fashion, and a kind of loose coat of sheepskin, which reaches to the middle of the leg. The great people wear garments made of silk, which they procure from the neighboring nations.
The costume of many of the Tartar tribes belonging to Russia is very picturesque. The Mordvine women, when married, Wear a high stuffed cap, sewed with many variously-colored threads, with a flap hanging down the back, to which are attached chains and other ornaments. Their linen petticoats they adorn gayly with red and blue needlework: they wear an apron hanging from their girdle; but, instead of being in front, as with most other people, it hangs behind, and is curiously embroidered and bordered with fringes, tassels, and beads. Those who can afford it, have a wide ornamented linen gown, with very short sleeves, generally dyed a bright yellow. It is fastened closely round the throat with a small pin, and across the bosom with a larger one, from which hang such a quantity of coral', copper buttons, chains, medals, coins, bells, and, indeed, anything that makes a jingling sound, that the dress of a Mordvine elegant, in holiday costume, is of a very great weight. Ear-rings are always worn; but when they intend to be very smart, they also have bracelets, twisted several times round the arm, like those used in India.
The young women have fewer ornaments, but their dress is the same as we have described above; they, however, wear their hair braided, like the Russians, in a long tail, with knots of ribbon and fringes tied to it. Formerly, they plaited the hair in eight or nine small tresses, those behind the ears being larger than the others. To these tresses they tied ornaments of various kinds, and fastened them through the girdle; some even plaited sheep's wool with their hair, till it resembled a large tail, and fell to the knees. The men belonging to this tribe wear the Russian dress, except that their shirts are curiously embroidered.
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