Pattern Making- The Late Bustle Era Bodice The Look of the 1880's Period Photos graphics intensive please be patient while it loads!

One of my favorite inexpensive antique/thrift store haunts is anywhere there is a box of old photographs. I have hundreds in my collection and I especially love the bustle era. Patterns and fashion plates show you styles, and existing garments can help with structural details but you must see the people of the era themselves to get an idea of what was commonly worn. Dover Books publishes two good, inexpensive books that have a wealth of photographs including bustle era photos: American Victorian Costume in Early Photographs, and Victorian and Edwardian Fashion. There are also places online that you can find great photos- I enjoy browsing through City Gallery- although many of these are undated- they also have great guides on estimating the time frame on photos. Here's a few typical examples from my collection dating to from the time frame we are going to be studying. You can find more photos from my collection in your textbook pages 9-12. A pair of young ladies from Beatrice, Nebraska Circa 1888 Two different bodice treatments are shown, the lady on the left has a shirred panel inset and probably closes invisibly under one side of this panel. The lady on the right has a false vest front, center front button closure. Her bodice seems to be decorated with passementarire or braid at the cuffs and on the lower bodice "jacket". She also has "high" sleeves (ones with a slight fullness) This is a family group circa 1883-4 from Paola Kansas. The young lady has a false vest front basque with a rounded bottom. The mother has a polonaise style top and it is accented by a lace trimmed scarf at the throat and black lace? ruffles at the cuffs A mother and children- the mother is wearing a simple basque bodice with applied "lapels" or "revers". The teenage daughter (notice her hair is down?) is wearing a basque bodice with a button in vest front. These could be made as part of the bodice and close on one side only or sometimes they were made to completely button out so you could change them.  Tight basque bodice probably circa 1878-1881 from Atchison Kansas. Bodice is quite long- to low hip level and very fitted. Applied contrast trim which appears to be velvet. Sleeve cuffs are a wide pleated ruffle headed by a contrast band, so that in effect the "cuff" portion of the sleeve nearly reaches the elbow level. Bodice buttons center front. Neckline is a short mandrin or "military" collar with a ruffle above it. I love to collect pictures of "stout" ladies. I think it comes from another reenactor that I meet at shows. She holds up a tiny black evening bodice in pristine condition  and shows it to people as "proof" everyone was much smaller back then. Truth be known the tiny garments of a lady's girlhood were kept and cherished even after they were outgrown, so that's what we find the most. Larger ladies did exist, and most of these ladies seem to wear simple bodices like the one shown here. Young lady circa 1884 from Sauk Centre, Minn. Bodice buttons center front and ends in vest points in the front and rounds to just below the waist on the sides. Sleeves are 3/4 length and end in a point on the forearm. Collar is short military style with ruffle inside. Fabric for bodice and overskirt appears to be some sort of jacquard weave. Junction City Kansas, circa 1888 A very basic bodice from the 1880's I date it to later because of the fullnes at the sleeve cap. Bodice ends just below waistline on sides and drops to a point at center front (and appears to be longer in back) Short stand up collar. No decoration other than ruffle at throat and bottom of sleeves. Photos show you what people DID wear. Look for photos at antique stores that were taken in your area- it will make them even more "useful" for documentation of your bodice/dress. Some More Photo Links for you to explore Tara's Dead Irish American relatives Heritage Photographs Antiq-photo American Museum of Photography Library of Congress Vintage Pix Lesson 1-Page 8 Lesson Index Page 1- 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9

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