English Ladies Fashion in the 1840s
Since the story I am writing is set in the 1840s, I came upwards with a cunning plan to write a post about women's fashion at the time! Decade of 1840s represents both the first, and the simplest and most romantic decade of Victorian fashion.
In cultural dimension, the 1840s were a fruitful period for Bronte sisters (1847 in particular), Chopin, Franz Liszt, Edgar Allan Poe, Lord Tennyson, Elizabeth Barrett-Browning, the Pre-Raphaelites, and information technology besides the first decade of applicable photography (Robert Adamson and David Octavius Loma were active in this decade).
This is as well the the first decade of Victorian era; Queen Victoria married Albert in 1840 and half-dozen out of their nine children were built-in in this decade. Movies set in the 1840s with accurate fashion are: The Young Victoria (2009), Jane Eyre (2011), Effie Grayness (2014), La Dame aux Camélias' (1980), Cranford (TV Series) and Render to Cranford (2009). Costumes in Sweeney Todd (2007) bear resemblance to the 1840s manner also.
Manner in the 1840s represents a muted version of the romantic and flamboyant fashion of the 1830s. Sombre colours and simplicity were in faddy subsequently a decade of exaggeration and flashy colours. The biggest changes in the silhouette occurred in two spheres – firstly, natural waistline came into fashion after more than 40 years of high-empire waists, and, secondly, the book of the sleeves had complanate.
1841. May court fashions (England)
The silhouette of the 1840s was that of a bell shaped skirt, narrow waist and slopping shoulders. Sleeves were tight and elementary, without excess decoration, as was the bodice. Skirt was uncomplicated besides; bong shaped, sometimes with fragile flounces of lace, simply for day vesture the advent was kept modest. The fashionable look of the 1840s could be described as modest, sombre and demure, and, I'd dare to say, a scrap gothic, especially with evening dresses, accesorise and details such equally black lace, mitts, roses.
In the early on years of the decade sleeves however resembled those of the belatedly 1830s; fulness of the sleeves has moved from the shoulder to the lower function of the arm. From about 1843. narrow sleeves were stylish, and they connected to be and then until the tardily 1850s. Skirts faced changes as well; they were gradually condign wider and wider, richer in flounces and details, and worn with many layers of petticoats to achieve the desirable fulness.
To go along in touch with the overall moderate and dark spirit of the decade, popular colours were rather gloomy and toned down, especially for the 24-hour interval wear. Rich shades were popular for evening dresses, merely white was favourable as it symbolised innocence and naivety and was therefor perfect for debutantes. 'In the 1840'southward, soft shades of yellowish, green gilded, blues and pinks were worn; simply from the late forties stripes, plaids and the more brilliant shades of dejection, greens red, and yellows came into fashion.' I take also noticed plaid being a popular material for twenty-four hour period dresses. Every bit for walking and outdoor dresses, my personal remark is that eggplant purple, cobalt blueish and night greens (darker colours in general) were common, at least judging by the way plates.
An interesting and accurate description of colours in Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre which was written and fix in the 1840s. Blanche Ingram'due south evening dress at a modest gathering at Thornfield Hall:
'She was dressed in pure white; an amber-coloured scarf was passed over her shoulder and across her breast, tied at the side, and descending in long, fringed ends beneath her articulatio genus. She wore an amber-coloured flower, as well, in her hair: it contrasted well with the jetty mass of her curls.' (Chapter sixteen)
Dresses that Mr Rochester wanted to purchase for Jane Eyre:
'The hr spent at Millcote was a somewhat harassing one to me. Mr. Rochester obliged me to go to a sure silk warehouse: there I was ordered to cull half-a-dozen dresses. (…) I reduced the half-dozen to two: these however, he vowed he would select himself. With anxiety I watched his eye rove over the gay stores: he fixed on a rich silk of the near brilliant amethyst dye, and a superb pinkish satin. (…) With space difficulty, for he was stubborn as a rock, I persuaded him to make an exchange in favour of a sober black satin and pearl-gray silk.' (Chapter 24)
To balance out the dreariness of the day vesture, evening dresses were, although elementary in cut, often in rich shades of colours, unremarkably decorated with a deep flounce of black lace and roses – the detail look is evident on many portraits of the time. Evening dresses were worn with lace mitts, opera gloves and sheer shawls which were quite popular during the decade.
Colours that I have noticed being popular for evening or dinner dresses are different shades of green such every bit lime and emerald light-green, raspberry pink, lilac, silvery grey, sapphire and heaven blue, amber and honey yellow. I take also observed that ruby wasn't as popular in the 1840s equally information technology shall be in the following decade; if worn, currant and garnet crimson were favourable.
Hairstyles of the 1840s are rather distinctive; hair was centrally parted and, while the back of the hair was shaped into a bun, front tresses could either be curled tightly or smoothed back over the ears and looped or braided. Compared to the hairstyles of the 1830s, these are quite simple.
Bonnets were toned downward too; they became smaller and less extravagant and were busy only by subtle flowers and tied with ribbons. For evening article of clothing hair was in most cases worn curled and busy with flowers, and occasionally, by the nigh fashionable ladies, little turban style caps were too worn.
The wedding dresses of this decade are, in my opinion, the most cute Victorian wedding dresses. They were worn with long veils, and a dash of lace, with the hair decorated with roses or other small flowers. Queen Victoria married Prince Albert on x February 1840, and successfully started a trend for white hymeneals dresses. Notwithstanding, wearing white for wedding wasn't every bit special and new as it seems now; white wedding dresses were worn in the Regency era too as white was the most stylish colour, and, in addition, white was, every bit already mentioned, extremely pop selection for evening dresses, peculiarly for young women.
Still, as a Queen, Victoria popularised white for brides and made information technology a standard colour for hymeneals dresses, but also strengthened the Ideal of Womanhood. 'Women were told from all quarters that their chore was to stay shut to the home and shape the world only through their at-home and morally pure influences on the men in their domestic circle.' Therefore, white color for nuptials dresses was more than symbolic than e'er. Prototype of Queen Victoria as an doting and innocent bride, really captured the public's imagination and along with the common character of a 'modest bride in white' often found Dicken's novels, she cemented the ideal image of a helpmate.
Mr Rochester remarked, upon seeing Jane in a white wedding apparel and a simple white veil, that she was 'off-white every bit a lily, and not simply the pride of his life, but the want of his optics.'
Queen Victoria described her wedding dress in her journal: 'I wore a white satin clothes, with a deep flounce of Honiton lace, an simulated of an old design. My jewels were my Turkish diamond necklace & earrings & dear Albert's beautiful sapphire brooch.'
1839. sketch by Queen Victoria, Design for her bridesmaids dresses
Shawl was very fashionable for outwear as it fitted perfectly with the silhouette of sloping shoulders and a bong shaped skirt, and information technology gives, if I may add, a romantic touch to the outfit. As the sleeves were tight, jackets and coats came into fashion again, only for walking dresses, particularly on the north where the Brontës lived, pelerine was both fashionable and practical as it protected the wearer from the strong wind.
Every bit for footwear, 1840s are sadly the final decade of flat shoes. Fashionable shoes for women were satin slippers tied with ribbons around the ankle, and decorated with bows or lace.
That'south it! I sincerely promise that this decade of fashion appealed to y'all and absorbed you as much as it captivated me.
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