a short 1830s dress
on a woman. Not just any old woman, but a St Simonienne. I'd never heard of them but am reading a bluestocking book by Barbara Hodgson "Dreaming of East: western women and the exotic allure of the orient".
In 1834 a small group of femmes emancipées sailed from Marseilles to Alexandria, and what fascinates me is that they were lower and middle class women. I'd never heard of them before. The picture interests me, it's of a costume théatrical, 1832. Knowing it's theatrical but of the era, is the shorter skirt length typical for this specific group of women or an exaggeration and nothing like the femmes emancipées . Just as Punch cartoons exaggerated crinolines and other items of fashion.
It's a very jaunty red hat ... getting that right wouldn't be easy. I'm definitely adding this to my costume list, but in the whack category, just like my Nacho Libre costume.
In 1834 a small group of femmes emancipées sailed from Marseilles to Alexandria, and what fascinates me is that they were lower and middle class women. I'd never heard of them before. The picture interests me, it's of a costume théatrical, 1832. Knowing it's theatrical but of the era, is the shorter skirt length typical for this specific group of women or an exaggeration and nothing like the femmes emancipées . Just as Punch cartoons exaggerated crinolines and other items of fashion.
It's a very jaunty red hat ... getting that right wouldn't be easy. I'm definitely adding this to my costume list, but in the whack category, just like my Nacho Libre costume.