18thVirginia
Major
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2012
Unlike many women of my age, I didn't learn to sew in Home Economics. My grandmother had two lady neighbors who lived across the street that "sewed for other people" or "took in sewing." I hung out and watched as "Dovie" cut out dress fabric and then eventually taught me to use a sewing machine. To this day I hem a skirt in the unique way that she instructed.
Looking at the photos of women from the Civil War era and then at some of the dresses and gowns pictured in Godey's Lady's Book, I was reminded of a time when our mothers sewed our dresses and Sunday morning might find three of us in the pew wearing the same Simplicity dress, only in different colors. So, I thought it would be fun to see how closely the seamstresses of the era, whether they sewed commercially or for themselves, followed the fashionistas of the 1860s as presented by Godey's.
It also occurred to me that it's a great way to date photos, by trying to match fashions with the years in which they appeared in the magazines of the era. So, this thread will feature photos of Civil War era women and Civil War era magazine fashions. We'll also add in some current photos of gowns and dresses produced by seamstresses of our own era for reenactments for comparison.
The first lady that we look at has to be Varina Davis, who was a First Lady in real life. Here are two photos of her elegant gown:
And here's one from Godey's Lady's Book in 1860:
Looking at the photos of women from the Civil War era and then at some of the dresses and gowns pictured in Godey's Lady's Book, I was reminded of a time when our mothers sewed our dresses and Sunday morning might find three of us in the pew wearing the same Simplicity dress, only in different colors. So, I thought it would be fun to see how closely the seamstresses of the era, whether they sewed commercially or for themselves, followed the fashionistas of the 1860s as presented by Godey's.
It also occurred to me that it's a great way to date photos, by trying to match fashions with the years in which they appeared in the magazines of the era. So, this thread will feature photos of Civil War era women and Civil War era magazine fashions. We'll also add in some current photos of gowns and dresses produced by seamstresses of our own era for reenactments for comparison.
The first lady that we look at has to be Varina Davis, who was a First Lady in real life. Here are two photos of her elegant gown:
And here's one from Godey's Lady's Book in 1860: