Quaint Old Fashions

Now this is an interesting piece of information. I got it off of a post by one of the lovely ladies on the Sewing Academy.

"MEMPHIS DAILY APPEAL [MEMPHIS, TN], March 3, 1861, p. 1, c. 2-3
         Ladies' Dresses in Muddy Weather.
   It is an unpleasant sight to see the ladies on the streets, on rainy
days, allow their dresses to rail in the mud. This is unpardonable.
There is no impropriety in raising the skirts high enough to keep them
out of the dirt. There is a very unladylike prudery in refusing to
raise them slightly when cleanliness requires it. It is not necessary,
however, for any lady to hold her dress with her hands to keep it out of
the mud. The English woman, says an European writer, understanding
these things better than we, go out walking in rain and mud, wearing
long dresses, and without taking their hands from their muffs, come home
with the clothing as clean as when they started. How do they do it?
They wear skirts that do not reach lower than the ankle; short enough,
in fact, to keep clear of the mud without any lifting. The dress is
worn long, but is looped up when the lady is in the street. The loops
are a late invention, and are now the fashion in Great Britain. A woman
who should go out in muddy weather without them would be considered a
prude. They are made thus:
   There is a belt of black ribbon, three quarters of an inch wide, and
long enough to go around the lady's waist, with a hook at one end and an
eye at the other, as a fastening; a piece of the same kind of ribbon,
three yards long, is attached to the end and the middle of the belt.
The belt is now put on with the hook and eye in front; and hanging down
on each side is a loop of black ribbon, three quarters of a yard long.
When a lady is about to go out, she puts on her belt, and puts a part of
the lower portion of her dress through each loop, which is thus raised
into four festoons, and all of it is above the lower edge of the
petticoat.
   She then walks out with her hands free, her dress clear, and her
conscience at ease; and if she wishes to enter a house, she can take her
dress out of the loops in an instant. The looped dress is not only
clean but graceful, and it shows a white petticoat, one of the most
beautiful articles of ladies' apparel, to much advantage. In England,
however, a white petticoat is not considered indispensable; on the
contrary, scarlet woolen petticoats are much worn by most fashionable
people, as are also red woolen stockings. Indeed the white cotton
stockings are the exception, and not the rule for London wear in
winter. Wool is ordinarily worn, sometimes scarlet, or scarlet with
black stripes, or plaid with a variety of colors. And then, the shoes
are not of thin cloth with paper soles, but Balmoral boots, with heavy
uppers and thick soles, lacing up in front, as if they were made for
beings of flesh and blood, bred on roast beef, and good for real
service, hard work, sturdy health and long life. Our American women are
too much in the habit of following bad fashions, and neglecting good
ones. If they will just adopt the healthful practices, as well as the
expensive luxuries, of European aristocracy, it will be far better, as
well as more creditable to them. We are glad to see, however, that a
correct taste is being exercised by our ladies. They study health and
comfort more than the fashions, and we may expect to see them as
rosy-cheeked and robust as any of our English cousins.-Home Journal."

Wow! And here I always thought that those poor ladies had to suffer through all the grime of dirt roads!

Sadly, I can't find any cdvs or modern day pictures of reenactors using this form of skirt elevation- that is, unless this lady is using one. I'll try to find out if she is and post the results of my search.

See how her skirt is caught up along the bottom and her pettis are showing? That may be an example.

Wow! Imagine making her bodice!

Isn't this a beautiful picture? I like her bonnet, too!

This is Dr. Mary Walker. She was one of the first women doctors.

What a beautiful gown!

I bet these two are sisters! :)

Isn't this picture beautiful?

This is Frances Clayton. I know this isn't considered a fashion from our forefathers... but this is a CDV of a lady in the civil war disguised as a man. Many women did this because it gave them a chance to help out in the war. I don't think I would have done it... but some ladies felt like they needed to. Anyhow, I thought it was an interesting CDV because I have never seen one of a lady in disguise.