Category: Geographical

  • Suez Canal

    (A marvel of Victorian engineering, the Suez Canal opened in 1869 and affected both trade patterns and politics, with the resultant ease of access for Europeans to parts of Africa enabling a new wave of colonization efforts during the 1880s.  Apparently its impact was such that even a decade after its opening it inspired a fancy dress costume design!)

    The description is identical across three editions of the same manual:

    Long flowing robe of cloth-of-gold, with waves of blue satin bordered with pearls, underskirt of red satin embroidered in Egyptian designs.  A gold key at the girdle; Egyptian head-dress of pearls, turquoise, and diamonds; girdle of roses and lilies.

    Sources:
    Holt, Ardern.  Fancy Dresses Described, 2nd Edition, Illustrated.  London: Debenham & Freebody, 1880.
    Holt, Ardern.  Fancy Dresses Described, 5th Edition.  London: Debenham & Freebody, 1887.
    Holt, Ardern.  Fancy Dresses Described, Sixth Edition.  London: Debenham & Freebody, 1896.

    The 1896 edition of Holt may be found online at the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections.