I was so pleased to be asked to speak at the History Symposium this past month! It was a fantastic experience, and I strongly recommend that readers check out the rest of their offerings -- there are years' worth of presentations on all sorts of topics relating to the early nineteenth century, particularly the War … Continue reading “Much Depends on the Proper Display of the Contour”: Corsetry in the Early Nineteenth Century
Category: 1800s
What’s the Deal with the Great Male Renunciation?
This is a concept I've had issues with for a long time. I don't tend to think about it (as I prefer to think we've moved past it as a field), but a couple of weekends ago it came up in a paper at an event I was attending and I started trying to formulate … Continue reading What’s the Deal with the Great Male Renunciation?
Late Georgian Hairstyles: Fewer Buns Than You'd Think
It looks like I made a Twitter thread on this back in February of 2020, and while I always intended to turn it into a blog post, I suppose it's not surprising that I, er, forgot about it. But I've been thinking about the basic late Georgian hairstyle for a long time, ever since a … Continue reading Late Georgian Hairstyles: Fewer Buns Than You'd Think
My First Bib-Front Gown
Somehow, I'd never made a bib-front gown before. But when I was given a length of cotton by a new friend at the 2018 regional CSA symposium, I knew it was going to be for something from Regency Women's Dress - and as that was the place where I realized that the awkwardly-fitting stays I'd made … Continue reading My First Bib-Front Gown
Transitional Stays Pattern
Hello, strangers! I'm back to post again about those underbust stays from the pre-Regency, in preparation for the Short Stays Sew-Along. I saw these, as the label suggests, at Historic Cherry Hill in Albany, NY. (I don't believe there was any definite provenance, but the house was owned by the Van Rensselaers and most if … Continue reading Transitional Stays Pattern
Mimic of Modes 