Victims Of Fashion , In Print; The Crinoline Wars

JPK Huson 1863

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Location
Central Pennsylvania
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Godey's Lady's Book illustration, 1863

It's difficult, looking at History clearly. Some of our most dearly held images either must be clung to against all evidence or vanish- leaving one feel a little like the day you watched Santa dissolve, sleigh, Rudolph and team, into Time's bittersweet vault.

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Posted on this some time ago. Had a few articles on the dangers of crinolines- hoops, and hoops skirts. One, from Asia, 200 women perishing WHOOSH, packed together for a ceremony. A skirt caught fire.


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No fire expert but beyond how difficult it would be sitting next to her at a dinner table- seems to me this ensemble would go WHOOSH with great ease.

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One of his points is, women could not remain aware of where their clothing was- it was impossible. How could you?

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I'd meant to collect more articles and no, newspapers are not sources. But. They are infallible reflections of the eras- society in print. Article out of a Pittsburgh paper, must have been around the time the Rooneys won the Steelers in card game- so, mid-war :giggle: ; a man on the broil. Topic? Hoop skirts- crinolines. This image we have, our ancestors, or anyone's, floating in feminine, era loveliness bedecked in bow, ruffles, lace and around an acre of fabric- was extremely controversial. Iconic today, synonymous with the American Civil War, women in motion, grace and beauty, crinolines aka hoop skirts were attacked as dangerous, intrusive, impolite, annoying and frequently just, plain weapons let loose on the general public.

For those who will still cling, no messenger shooting. :redcarded: Yes, one article. Have around 50 in reserve- this one covers all bases, is the thing. His sheer common sense is what gets gives one pause. That women still wore them guided by Godeys, Demorest, et al means commerce took a hand.

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1861, Godey's Lady's Book

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Article cont'd........


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Godey's, 1863
 
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Godey's Lady's Book illustration, 1863

It's difficult, looking at History clearly. Some of our most dearly held images either must be clung to against all evidence or vanish- leaving one feel a little like the day you watched Santa dissolve, sleigh, Rudolph and team, into Time's bittersweet vault.

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Posted on this some time ago. Had a few articles on the dangers of crinolines- hoops, and hoops skirts. One, from Asia, 200 women perishing WHOOSH, packed together for a ceremony. A skirt caught fire.


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No fire expert but beyond how difficult it would be sitting next to her at a dinner table- seems to me this ensemble would go WHOOSH with great ease.

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One of his points is, women could not remain aware of where their clothing was- it was impossible. How could you?

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I'd meant to collect more articles and no, newspapers are not sources. But. They are infallible reflections of the eras- society in print. Article out of a Pittsburgh paper, must have been around the time the Rooneys won the Steelers in card game- so, mid-war :giggle: ; a man on the broil. Topic? Hoop skirts- crinolines. This image we have, our ancestors, or anyone's, floating in feminine, era loveliness bedecked in bow, ruffles, lace and around an acre of fabric- was extremely controversial. Iconic today, synonymous with the American Civil War, women in motion, grace and beauty, crinolines aka hoop skirts were attacked as dangerous, intrusive, impolite, annoying and frequently just, plain weapons let loose on the general public.

For those who will still cling, no messenger shooting. :redcarded: Yes, one article. Have around 50 in reserve- this one covers all bases, is the thing. His sheer common sense is what gets gives one pause. That women still wore them guided by Godeys, Demorest, et al means commerce took a hand.

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1861, Godey's Lady's Book

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Article cont'd........


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Godey's, 1863
Love the images, especially the colorized ones! They weren't built for speed, or comfort, in those days, but they did look beautiful :smile:
 
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A ball, at Union Square- and rats, is this a Leslie illustration? I forgot when snipping, last year. Think so. When looking at these, how in blazes fun was it, dancing with women one could not hold? Is it elegant? Yes. Awkward? Yes. Women carried pins with them. Dresses were ripped because they were stepped on, and always, not just occasionally.

Broke it up; long articles can get lost. This one is important. No, not because there was a counter-cultural movement underway and it was difficult to spot. Amazing crinolines lasted as long as they did, and a testimony to both commerce and our seemingly inborn ability to pull armchairs onto train tracks. If we look charmingly sitting in them.

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Found this surprising- Leslie had a brief foray into ladies fashion. Generally a level headed, excellent news source, seems to have been caught in the commercial temptation.
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There is more to this article. Hoping to not be distracting batting back argument, will post tomorrow along with others-the usual, short blurbs announcing accidents, from 1861-1865 only. Honest. Really was quite a ' thing '.

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Sorry, now distracted. " Opposite Old Jail ". *snorkel* . I'm not sure this is era- from files, and did not remember to date.

All clippings are snipping from LoC newspapers or Newspaper dot com. Snips from Godey's are from Archived editions in Google Archives although these are plentiful, thanks to those preserving our History across the internet. Photos are either Pinterest or LoC or NYPL.
 
My daughter's perfect dream is these dresses would come back into fashion today! When she finally viewed Gone with the Wind she made stood up and proclaimed "I want all the poof!" My jaw dropped! She loves to sew costumes but never finishes them! Lots of "want to" but no follow through for that child! I'm trying to keep her (and myself) motivated but you should see our patterns and fabric stash just sitting there! :nah disagree:
 
My daughter's perfect dream is these dresses would come back into fashion today! When she finally viewed Gone with the Wind she made stood up and proclaimed "I want all the poof!" My jaw dropped! She loves to sew costumes but never finishes them! Lots of "want to" but no follow through for that child! I'm trying to keep her (and myself) motivated but you should see our patterns and fabric stash just sitting there! :nah disagree:
You guys are not alone in this. After being a part of the crafting world for many years, I think this is more the norm than anything. (I currently have fabric for 2 dresses and 1 pair of yoga pants, sitting in stash, waiting for me. What do I do when it's late at night, and I'm too tired to stitch, knit, or sew? Window shop fabric and patterns online, of course!)

One of my knitting friends refers to her plans as "Fantasy Knitting" ~ all these great ideas, and even some started projects, but not enough time to do them. Or worse, you get distracted by something else equally beautiful. Having friends who craft doesn't help this problem at all. I'll be fine and on track, and then one of them will post something on Instagram, and 5 of us will want to drop what we're doing and start her project!

We laugh about our works-in-progress and unfinished objects. The ones that really matter will get done. :smile: Eventually.
 
My daughter's perfect dream is these dresses would come back into fashion today! When she finally viewed Gone with the Wind she made stood up and proclaimed "I want all the poof!" My jaw dropped! She loves to sew costumes but never finishes them! Lots of "want to" but no follow through for that child! I'm trying to keep her (and myself) motivated but you should see our patterns and fabric stash just sitting there! :nah disagree:

I think it's great that you and your daughter both like to sew! I bet some of those finished and unfinished pieces have created some great memories for you. Please post pictures of some your work (if you're comfortable doing so). I always get a treat when @LoriAnn posts pictures of her embroidery. My husband's impressed when I sew a button back on for him. Come to think of it I am too. :laugh:
 
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