JPK Huson 1863
Brev. Brig. Gen'l
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2012
- Location
- Central Pennsylvania
Just one of a plethora of era cartoons lampooning this improbable fashion extreme. Yes, I realize we're a little smitten by them and descriptions of floating belles waltzing on magnolia strewn verandas captures popular imagination. Women also caught fire, were struck by lightening, drowned and broke legs by the dozen falling down stairs in those things. Men hated them, too, hence the pen stuck into this cartoon.
You read a LOT of stories about them in era newspaper, incidents while wearing one. This one's a little awesome. There's a reason for choosing the image above.
It must have looked like a romantic kind of life. Thread on these women somewhere.
When I was kid the catch phrase about running away to join the circus was still around. There must have been a lot of factual precedence to draw on.
Wait for it...
"... preserving human life...". they were sure more dangerous than life preserving but there are stories of women falling into rivers and being saved by crinolines acting as weird buoys. The ones whose crinolines filled with water just drowned.
Harper's, reporting on the one in the river. No lampooning necessary.