I’m often
inspired by a fabric when I make a new historical dress. This time is was a
vivid Xmas green Bengaline-rayon blend fabric I’d bought through a friend. It
immediately said to me “arsenic green”. Many costumers interested in the history
of fabrics know exactly what this is.
For a
short history: In the early 1800s, color choices for clothing changed
dramatically. In 1814, a company in Germany developed a new green dye. It was
brighter than most traditional green dyes, and was bolder & didn’t fade.
The shade was so jewel-like that it quickly began being called "emerald
green." It was also called Paris Green. The vivid green color was achieved
by mixing copper and highly toxic arsenic trioxide together. Women loved it,
largely because it was during this time that gas lighting, rather than
candlelight, was being introduced, and the color showed up more brilliantly. In
the 1860s through 1880s green fabrics showed up more and more. This color was used in fabrics, clothing, hair
ornaments, artificial flowers, wallpaper and carpeting.
Except as women began showing skin rashes, open sores, and
other signs of arsenic poisoning from wearing the dresses or working with it, the British Medical Journal wrote that the arsenic-wearing woman "carries in her skirts poison enough to slay the whole of the admirers she may meet with in half a dozen ball-rooms." In the 1880s, this
knowledge became public and they quit using this color. An extant dress that
the MET has in their collection is still so highly toxic to this day that
workers must wear masks and gloves when they handle it. We mostly refer to it
as “arsenic green” now. *Now you know why I named my dress, The Dress of Death.
Not to be dissuaded from making my own green dress, I began
searching for gowns of green in those time periods, and landed on an 1872 one
held in the MET Museum. *The hoop displayed under this is too full for an 1872
dress. By this time the skirt was flatter in front with a small hoop to hold it
out, and a bustle attached in the back, similar to the one I own. But I loved
the details of it. The black and white photo is of a similar dress the MET also
has, and with better underpinnings. As you can see, dresses of this time period
have lots of details you can play with.
This was another idea I had of an 1873 dress, and with all
the issues I had in making my final dress, sometimes I wished I’d made it
instead. But nothing says I can’t make this someday.
I found
various fashion prints from 1872 to give me ideas of the silhouette and the trims
used. It also gave me an idea of making a chemisette to fill in a neckline.
Yeah, not exactly like my inspiration photo. But I couldn’t find a coordinating
fabric to make the insert like it, so I went another direction with it. I also
took notice of the hats and hairstyles they were showing.
My
starting point for the bodice pattern was Truly Victorian #403, 1872 Vested
Bodice. They didn’t have an over-skirt pattern for this yet but Heather said she
was working on one. I started planning this in November, and hoped to have it
ready to wear by February 22.
I
decided to just make my skirt from panels of fabric, and I was convinced to try
a new construction method of making a front panel that would be open on both
sides at the top, and then go over the side panels that just had a narrow waistband
on those that came to the front and closed. The front waistband would then go
over it and hook on each side. Sound confusing? Yes. But while I was looking at
one, I thought it ingenious, and a great way to make size adjustments. *sample from Shelley Peters
My
mistake was having my brain in an 1860s mindset and I had most of my skirt constructed
before I realized the pleating was supposed to be pulled to the back and smooth
in front. So, I had to rip that out and start over. And the front panel also
had to be flatter. It was also supposed to have large inside pockets on both
sides but even now that its finished, those are a failure for me.
Get
over it. I proceeded to making the bodice. I was using the TV pattern as my
base, which has a vestee sewn into it. I chose not to do that and make a
chemisette instead, because of the fabric issue I had. Instead of a white
chemisette, as was more common, I picked a pretty white cotton with green
leaves on it, and it went well with my green fabric. Actually, I bought all 10
yds of the cotton that JoAnn’s had because it will make a pretty dress all by itself.
Yes, I am a fabric hoarder.
I was pretty happy with how the back came out. I ended up covering some large buttons in the green fabric to do on the sides of my over-skirt.
I
didn’t have a pattern for a chemisette since in the past I just used a blouse
pattern and left the sides open with no sleeves. So, I downloaded one of Truly
Victorian’s digital patterns, TV#149. I used the plain front but the small
upright collar on it. This was my first purchase of their digital patterns, and
its markings on the pattern pages are so well done, it went together very
easily. I made this in two hours.
In
getting back to my skirt issues, I kept trying to bring more fullness to the
back but it wouldn’t flatten out as much in front. I began focusing on my
accessories at this point. While looking through some pages of fashion
magazines from 1872 on Google Books, I came across this interesting little
hanging purse. The majority of them were written in French but with the help of
a lovely Canadian friend, she translated it to tell me it was called an
“aumoniere”, translated to alms purse. She explained that they were small and
the ladies or children would carry their “alms” or donation coins for church,
to keep it separate from their regular money. The purse would hang from a belt,
and many ladies would do some beautiful embroidery on them.
I found
them dated from 1862, the 1870s, and the oldest, which my friend found, from
1902.
At first,
they all seemed to be on riding outfits.
But
then I found one shown with a regular dress from 1874. Good enough for me!
I began
drawing out a pattern using one of the shapes, dug out some hunter green cotton
velveteen I had in my stash, and had a lot of fun making this. My intention was
to make it just large enough to hold my cell phone, since obviously my pockets
on my skirt weren’t going to work, but it ended up 2” too small. But it looked
SO CUTE with my dress. Do you like it?
I’m thinking about making a pattern available for it.
I had
big plans for making a white cap or hat to wear with my dress, and my Canadian
friend was again kind enough to upload a free pattern for making one but the
week before the fashion show, I knew I wouldn’t make it in time. I dug through
my hat collection and found an 1870s one that would look good with it. I still
want to make one of these though.
Next up
was hair. I had a very long braid I’d been saving to use for the 1870s, and
looped it up in a serpentine shape and pinned it together, then put a hairnet
over it to hold it together. Then I pinned it on to one of my wigs. I’m not a
great hair dresser and that lump on the top would be covered by my hat. When I
have time, I’m going to take it to my wig lady and ask her to do a better job
of it for me.
The day
of the Dickens Festival fashion show finally arrived. We’d had pouring rain
earlier, and off and on during the day, but it didn’t keep a large crowd from
coming. Our group of models were smaller this year because of various things
coming up, and of course some illnesses. But we had an appreciative audience.
Since our numbers were down, Cindy and I both volunteered to wear two dresses.
I wore another 1870s dress, my Red Plaid, since I could wear the same
underpinnings, exchanging my bustle, and same hair with a different hat.
Of
course, we rarely get any group photos given to us but Cindy and I took some
ourselves.
Now, time for some self-examination after seeing the photos.
OMG, the green bodice is still too big! And I forgot to shorten the shoulder
length, so that explains why my sleeves were too long. Argh!! And I need yet
another petticoat. The fabric is heavy so its pushing down the multi-tiered one
I’m wearing. When I get time, I’m taking off my waistband and attaching the
skirt its normal way. Oh, and the waist on my over-skirt was too big too. No
way I could have lost that much weight in one week since I’d last tried it on. I
would really like to have a longer over-skirt in the back to balance it out but
without any more of the fabric, I’m not sure what to do.
On to my next project, finishing up my two 1890s outfits to
wear to the Port Townsend Victorian Festival at the end of March.
~~~Val~~~
