Historical Fancy Dress

Category: Historical

  • Elizabethan Serving Maid

    (Here's one of those costumes fondly considered "historical" — an Elizabethan maid wearing an 18th-century mobcap, 19th-century corsetry, a hint of a bustle, and a very upper-class ruff.)

    FD-Holt-1887-ServingMaid SERVING MAID (Elizabethan Period). Short fawn-colored stuff gown, made with pointed bodice; tight sleeves with stuffed epaulettes; ruff at throat; muslin cap; bag hanging at side.

    The illustration (click to enlarge) is taken from the 1887 edition of Holt's Fancy Dresses Described and displays a hint of the bustle shape of the era in the pleated fullness at the back of the skirt.  The identical description appears in the 1896 edition.

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

  • Richelieu

    Richelieu (A historical costume for the gentleman who doesn't care to expose his legs in tights!)

    A robe of cardinal-red goods made in domino style and trimmed with ermine, and worn over a lace gown.  A red mitre is worn, and a scepter is carried.

    Source:
    Masquerade and Carnival.  New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1892.

    A description and illustration of a domino-style robe were recently posted; the men's version would be similar to the women's as illustrated.

    As may be seen in the painting at left, Armand Jean du Plessis,
    Cardinal de Richelieu (1585-1642) doesn't seem to have actually worn either a lace gown or a mitre, though at least some 19th-century cardinals had much lacier apparel.

  • Napoleon

    FD-Butterick-Napoleon (One of the most recognizable historical figures for a man, and very suitable for a shorter gentleman in particular!  Click to enlarge the image.)

    White trousers; fawn-colored coat with heavy gold braid; purple sash and white felt hat trimmed with gold braid. Gauntlet gloves and spurs on boots.

     

    Source:
    Masquerades, Tableaux and Drills.  New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1906.

  • Marquise de Vaudreuil

    McCord-Vaudreuil Left: Harriet Wheeler as "Marquise de Vaudreuil" for the Château de Ramezay Historical Fancy Dress Ball, Montréal, QC, 1898, by William Notman.  Image © McCord Museum (click to enlarge.)

    The photograph is part of an online exhibition of photographs of fancy dress costumes from balls and skating parties.

    The Château de Ramezay was built in 1705 as the residence of the governor of Montréal and by 1898 had been converted into a museum.  The Historical Fancy Dress Ball was intended both as an entertainment and as an educational showcase for Canadian history and the history of the Château itself.  Guests were required to portray a character from Canadian history and were divided into themed historical sets to perform specific dances, probably fancy quadrilles.

    Harriet Wheeler chose to portray the Marquise de Vaudreuil, presumably Charlotte Fleury de la Gorgendière, wife of Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil de Cavagnial, Marquis de Vaudreuil, the last Governor-General of New France (Canada) before it was lost to Britain in 1760.  While her character would probably be fairly obscure nowadays to anyone but a Canadian, the outfit is a good example of a typical poudré costume.  The museum's description of it states:

    Mrs. Harriet Wheeler wore a pink satin hoop skirt trimmed with lace flounces and an overdress of pink and white flowered silk. Her patches — small beauty spots on the face — and powdered hair were frequently a part of 18th-century costumes.

    I've previously posted nineteenth-century directions on applying patches and powdering hair.

    Although guests were supposed to research their costumes and present accurate portrayals, there were varying degrees of success.  To my eye, her corset looks rather more nineteenth century than eighteenth century, and the museum notes that:

    The skirt of Mrs. Wheeler's supposedly 18th-century costume was held out with a circular hoop typical of the 1860s, and not the panniers that would have been more in keeping with the period. Nonetheless, the press praised her for wearing a "perfectly correct Pompadour costume."     (Montreal Star, 19 January 1898.)

  • With regard to powdering

    (Practical advice on how to powder the hair for a Poudré ball or costume.)

        With regard to Powdering, it is best, if possible, not to have recourse to a wig, they are heavy and unbecoming.  It is far better to powder the hair itself, using violet powder, and plenty of pomatum before applying it; but it entails a great deal of trouble in subsequently removing the powder.  The head may be covered with a thick soap lather.  The powder is applied thus: A puff well-filled is held above the head, jerking the elbow with the other hand.  The process should be repeated over and over again, and it is incredible the amount of powder that ought to be used to produce a satisfactory result.  An easy mode of dressing the hair for powder is to part it across the head from ar to ear, turning the front over a high cushion, making the back into a long loose chignon, with a few marteaux or rolled curls behind the cushion.  Sometimes the roll in front is replaced by a series of marteaux placed diagonally.  Sometimes the centre-piece only is rolled over the cushion, with marteaux at the sides.  Sometimes the back has four marteaux on either side, put diagonally, with others behind the ear, or a bunch of loose curls fall at the back.  All this may be made easier by having false marteaux and curls which have a far better effect than a wig.  It is, however, very much the fashion to powder the hair as it is worn now, viz., with curls in front and a coil at the back, a style which accords well with the dress worn when powder was a fashion.

    Sources (identical language in both):
    Holt, Ardern.  Fancy Dresses Described, 2nd Edition, Illustrated.  London: Debenham & Freebody, 1880.
    Holt, Ardern.  Fancy Dresses Described, 5th Edition.  London: Debenham & Freebody, 1887.

  • Richard I, Coeur-de-Lion

    (This is listed as a boy's costume, though there's no reason a man couldn't wear it as well.)

    The 1887 description:

    RICHARD I., COEUR DE LION.  In a maroon velvet tunic trimmed with gold lace, three lions couchant embroidered in gold on the breast; white silk tights; velvet trunks; gold and satin shoes; jewelled belt, sword, and dagger.

    The 1880 version differs only in making the lions courant (running) instead of couchant (lying down).  Historically, Richard I appears to have used a device with the three lions passant gardant (striding, facing toward the viewer.)

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

  • A Classic Party

    (Here's a specific fancy dress event theme that is basically a genteel Edwardian toga party, despite the author's efforts to depict it as educational.)

    Some of the most successful fancy-dress parties as to costume, and most fascinating as to the amusement afforded, have been arranged by limitations as to books, eras, countries, etc., which have been mentioned by the hostess upon the cards of invitation. For instance, she invites her friends and acquaintances to…a classic party, the latter including both Greeks and Romans, a few of the most presentable of the gods and goddesses and so on, down to the characters portrayed in Hawthorne's "Marble Faun."

    Both the Greek and Roman costumes of the free men and women are a most interesting study well worth giving a party for, if only for that; while following such a research, one's memory of classic times is refreshed, if not newly stored with historic facts, regarding tastes and habits that have influenced all the succeeding generations of civilized peoples. Gentlemen and ladies who carry themselves with dignity can wear these vestments with charming and novel effects, that contrast curiously with the appointments of a modern drawing-room.

    Source:
    Masquerades, Tableaux and Drills.  New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1906.

  • Charles II, Period of

    FD-Holt-1896-CharlesIIPeriod (Another historical costume more representative of the late 19th century than its original era of the 1660s. The illustration is taken from the 1896 edition and is very much in the hourglass style of that year; presumably the 1887 version is envisioned similarly adapted to the bustle silhouette!)

    1887:
    CHARLES II., PERIOD OF.  The women's dress of this period is familiar from the bevy of beauties associated with it at Hampton Court in négligé attire.  The bodices alone are stiff, but they expose rather than cover the bust and neck; the curled locks fall on the shoulders, and are simply confined by a row of pearls round the head; the arms are bare from the elbow; a train and distinct front breadth form the skirt, and there is a plethora of lace.  More homely women wore plain skirts, an upper one of a contrasting tone; pointed bodices, high to the throat, with a plain turn-down collar from the throat; the full sleeves to elbow are caught up with jewels at the bend of the arm; the shoes high on the instep, and very high in the heel, with roses or buckles.  The following is a good dress: — Blue and gold brocade, ith flounces of gold embroidery and point d'Alençon lace, and train of old gold satin; puffed petticoat looped at the side with bows, pearls, and lace; bodice low with sleeves fastened in to elbow with diamond ornaments; diamond tiara, and ornaments.  The skirt made plain and long, the bodices low, with lace turning downwards from shoulders.  Hair in ringlets, with bandeau of pearls.

    1896:
    CHARLES II., PERIOD OF.  The dress illustrated [above left; click to enlarge] may be carried out in plain satin.  The skirt full, the bodice low and stiff, with handsome jewelled trimming on front at neck, and fur bands which can be replaced if desired by a fall of lace, a full sleeve to elbow with an undersleeve of muslin and satin caught up in the fore-arm with a jewel.  Ruffle, gloves, pearls round the throat, and a small bouquet of flowers at the side of the head.  The women's dress of this era is familiar from the bevy of beauties associated with it at Hampton Court in négligé attire.  The bodices expose rather than cover the bust and neck; the curled locks fall on the shoulders, and are simply confined by a row of pearls; the arms are bare from the elbow; a train and distinct front breadth form the skirt, and there is a plethora of lace.  More homely women wore plain skirts, an upper one of a contrasting tone; pointed bodices, high to the throat, with a plain turn-down collar; the full sleeves to elbow are caught up with jewels at the bend of the arm; the shoes high on the instep, and very high in the heel, with roses or buckles.  The following is a good example: — Long skirt of blue and gold brocade, with flounces of gold embroidery and point d'Alençon lace, train of old gold satin puffed and looped at the side with bows and pearls; bodice low with lace turning downwards from shoulders, sleeves fastened into elbow with diamond ornaments; diamond tiara.

    FrancesStewartc1665 At right (click to enlarge), an actual portrait of a courtier of Charles II in the fashion of the era: "Frances Teresa Stuart", c1662-1665 by Sir Peter Lely.  Frances Teresa Stewart was the Duchess of Richmond & Lennox and a prominent member of the Restoration Court.  Notice the dramatically lengthened bodice and the much softer skirt shape compared to the 1896 illustration above!

     

    Sources:
    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.

  • Portuguese Officer of the 16th Century

    McCord-Portuguese  (Yes, men really did wear tights to fancy dress balls!  Here's a Canadian gentleman in Tudor-era costume, complete with tights and tall boots.  Click the image for a larger version.)

    Left: Edward Waldo, as "Portuguese Officer of the 16th Century", Montréal, QC, 1881 by Notman & Sandham.  Image © McCord Museum.

    The photograph is part of an online exhibition of photographs of fancy dress costumes from balls and skating parties; the museum's description of it states, in part:

    "Mr. Waldo wore this costume to several different balls and carnivals in the 1880s, in both Ottawa and Montreal. Like women, men in fancy dress, enjoyed flouting everyday conventions. Under no other circumstances would Victorian men ever expose this much of their legs. Journalists chronicled a great deal of anxiety among men over the adequacy of their legs and the decision to expose their calves or thighs."

    "This photograph was probably taken in the Notman studio in Montreal, where Mr. Waldo attended Mrs. D. Lorn Macdougall's ball and a skating carnival two weeks later"

    "Mr. Waldo wore this costume at least three times in 1881, when this photograph was taken, and again in 1889. He had it remade for another ball in 1896."

  • Guinevere

    (Two nearly-identical descriptions of a pseudo-historical Arthurian costume from two different editions of the same manual, dated seven years apart.  The only change is the addition of an optional cloak in the later edition.  Judging from other literary-medieval descriptions and illustrations of the era, this would probably have been worn over a corset and either no bustle or a very minimal one, though you never know — they've put bustles under less likely styles!)

    (Idylls of the King).  Costly dress of gold tissue, velvet, and brocade; the skirt long and flowing, fastened from neck to hem with jewelled clasps, if possible an emerald in each, square-cut bodice, with jewelled bands round; sleeves tight at lower part, of a distinct colour to the bodice, the upper portion slashed and jewels introduced; coronet of pearls; hair in plaits.

    Source: Holt, Ardern.  Fancy Dresses Described, 2nd Edition, Illustrated.  London: Debenham & Freebody, 1880.

    (Idylls of the King).  Costly dress of gold tissue, velvet, and brocade; the skirt long and flowing, fastened from neck to hem with jewelled clasps, if possible an emerald in each; square-cut bodice, with jewelled bands round; sleeves tight at lower part, of a distinct colour to the bodice, the upper portion slashed and jewels introduced; coronet of pearls; hair in plaits.  A long brocaded cloak enveloping the figure may be added.

    Source: Holt, Ardern.  Fancy Dresses Described, 5th Edition.  London: Debenham & Freebody, 1887.