So many period details make this ensemble perfect for any Civil War event! Made up in your selection of shimmering dupioni accented with braid, self-fabric rosettes with pearl centers, and lace trim. The fitted bodice features a high neckline with a lace collar, dropped shoulder seams, and full pagoda sleeves with white satin undersleeves that are attached. Buttons close at the front. The very full skirt is gathered into a buttoned waistband. More pearl-centered fabric rosettes and lace carry the embellishment theme from the bodice. Made up in poly dupioni, please dry clean. Proudly made in America by Recollections. Ola completes the look by wearing gloves, a hat, ruffled hoop and earrings; all are available priced separately. Mint julep anyone?
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During the Civil War, since pecans were in short supply in the South, oatmeal was substituted for the traditional pecan pie The history of oatmeal pie is difficult to verify. Its thought that thi…
Easy mac cheese recipe based on an authentic American Civil War era recipe for maccaroni cheese.
Le Bon Ton, June 1858. LAPL Visual Collections.
True story. Once, here on the forum there was a discussion on Civil War hair. Swear, first reaction was going to the thread, an image of a clump of...
Ladies' Cabinet, September 1856. LAPL Visual Collections.
Magasin des Demoiselles, June 1858. LAPL Visual Collections.
Le Bon Ton, August 1860. LAPL Visual Collections.
Le Bon Ton, August 1858. LAPL Visual Collections.
Today's post was contributed by my friend and fabulous costumer Sue Woods. I am always flabbergasted by her beautiful handmade historical costumes as well as drool worthy collection of vintage clothing. I knew she would be the perfect person to give us all some tips on how to get started with Victorian costuming, especially the
If you're a first-time reenacting lady, heading for "sutler row" to buy your first outfit, you'll see them everywhere. Beautiful billowing white peasant blouses and lovely full flowered skirts. Perfect! You find a set in your size and POOF! You're a reenactress! Then you get on a reenactor online forum and you see this discussion about "the dreaded skirt and blouse combo." You read it and you're in the dumps - apparently the mismatched skirt and blouse are ALL WRONG and were never worn during the war. You sadly consider the cost of buying an entirely new outfit. But THEN you start looking on Pinterest at original photos of Civil War ladies. WAIT! There are ladies in real 1860s photographs wearing a skirt and blouse! Okayyyyy, what's going on here? US National Archives 111-B-1686 Mis-Matched vs Matched The first item to consider is whether Civil War ladies only wore outfits with matching skirt and top, or if they wore mis-matched outfits too. The answer is, they wore both. Sort of. The mainstay of all female wardrobes in the 1860s was the matched skirt and bodice. Sometimes it was a one-piece dress, sometimes the pieces were separate, allowing for two different styles of matching bodice to be worn (a day bodice and an evening bodice, for example). If you looked in any woman's closet, the majority of what you'd find would be dresses with matching skirt and top. Barrington House photo. 1860s. But in the 1860s, a new fashion was just beginning to take hold. A young lady, or a fashionable woman might have an outfit or two in this new style. The style was - you guessed it - a mis-matched skirt and top. BUT... there were very particular parameters for this style. And that's where fashion historians blow a gasket, because the modern sutler version of a white blouse and calico skirt doesn't even come close to fitting the 1860s parameters for what we now call a "skirt and blouse." So let's take a look at what these outfits really looked like. Musées Nationaux-Grand Palais The Typical Blouse A "blouse" was originally a man's garment. Using the term "blouse" for woman's clothing is still a fairly new thing in this era, and it refers to a certain kind of top, one that imitates a gentleman's shirt. Up till now, we have been calling a ladies' top a "bodice," a "waist," or a "body." These terms could mean slightly different things depending on your region. What we call the "blouse" of the 1860s (and I will use this term the rest of this post because it's familiar) was almost always white and almost always very fine, beautiful fabric. Sheer cottons, silks and wools were often used. Tucks, frills, and furbelows of all sorts were generally included. Many times we see ribbon woven into the collar, or even into the whole blouse. It was a sharp looking, well-fitting, high fashion garment. Here is a blouse from the Met Museum made from sheer window-pane fine cotton. It is partially lined and includes a fitted waistband and some lovely ruffles. This gorgeous sheer blouse (it appears to be silk) is puffed to kingdom come! A fitted waistband and frilly collar complete this little piece of elegance. And just one more example (someone please stop me!). This one is so pretty with its detailed white-work flowers. It's likely that white-work was done by hand. The Garibaldi Blouse As I said, blouses were almost always white. The exception was for an outfit mimicking the famous Guiseppe Garibaldi, a freedom fighter in Italy. Garibaldi blouses worn by ladies were generally red, like his was, and included intricate, military-style black trim. You'll often see mock epaulettes on the shoulders. These gorgeous blouses were usually made of fine wool or silk. Because they were solid colored, they were almost never made of cotton - solid cottons were very rare in the 1860s. Lovely - but not for Civil War era! No Peasant Blouses So even though those lovely flowing white blouses on sutler row look so enticing, they're not accurate. The cotton fabric is usually too coarse and heavy, the blouse is too loose and floppy, there is almost never a proper collar - and I'm just getting started! Basically, a ready-made blouse of any kind will probably not look right for our era. Blouses of the 1860s were made to fit YOU and you only. Conversation Piece, Lilly Martin Spencer The Skirt So now we come to the second part of the ensemble. Remember that a "skirt and blouse" combo is considered a high fashion outfit. The cheap floppy calico skirts on sutler row don't make the cut. Skirts of the 1860s were generally fine tightly woven silk or wool. Both solids and patterns were used - but watch out which patterns you choose! Some of our modern designs simply weren't around back then. Plaids and stripes are generally pretty safe (and if you're concerned about a plaid, you can research it online to see when it was created). 1864 Ladies Friend Magazine If you are wearing the typical 1860s white blouse, you can pair it with a skirt of many colors and designs. However, if you're wearing a Garibaldi blouse, it was almost always paired with a black, or black-and-white skirt to complete the look of Garibaldi's uniform. The Belt Now we come to the optional finishing touch. A belt is not necessary for this ensemble, but it does make a nice statement and was quite popular. Here are some types of belts that were worn with these outfits: - Velvet or silk with rectangular metal buckle (like the fashion plate above) - Velvet or silk with double buckle - Rosette belt (came into fashion in the mid-1860s) - Medici belt - these were generally silk, fitted your waist (no bow in the back, a la sutler row) and sometimes beautifully embroidered - Swiss waist - a silk, corset-like garment So if you're a young lady, or if you're portraying a fashion-forward lady, a skirt and blouse ensemble may be for you. But save yourself some money by avoiding sutler row and instead go for the stunning original design: a high-quality finely designed blouse and silk or wool skirt. This young woman shows off the perfect ensemble: Frilly sheer blouse with ribbon woven in, silk medici belt and silk taffeta skirt. Her hair is smoothly in order and her lacy hankie provides the perfect finishing touch. Here's another photo from my sister's collection. Though mother and daughter's faces look almost alike, mama has a fashionable but predictable lady's outfit, probably a one-piece dress with lovely trim. Daughter, on the other hand, is more fashion-forward and is wearing a beautifully trimmed Garibaldi blouse - she probably sewed all that trim on herself! Her dark solid skirt is likely black silk. Both she and mama complete their ensembles with neck bows and ribbon hairnets. Such a lovely couple! If you want to see more gorgeous blouse outfits from the 1860s, check out my Pinterest board on the subject. This outfit was so fun that sis and I decided to attempt it ourselves. We found some lovely sheer cotton and sis made our gorgeous blouses with plenty of tucks and frills. I made the skirts - mine is swishy silk taffeta and sis's is a rich wool. I also made our cockades. And Mom made our snazzy hairnets! I think the whole effect turned out nicely!
Click 👉Today in History (general history) Sept. 15. On This Day in Confederate History, Sept. 15. 1861: General Albert Sidney Johnston became the commander of Confederate Department No. 2 in Missouri. He had been given command of the Western Military Department. Johnston had less than 40,000 troops to defend this massive area, which included Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri. After the disasters of early 1862 befell the Confederacy, General P.G.T. Beauregard was appointed his second in command. 1862: Siege of Harper's Ferry: On this day, Sept. 15, Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson orders a bombardment of the Federal garrison of Harper's Ferry, western Virginia. The shelling began at 8 o'clock that morning, the last day of the siege there. Federal commander Col. Dixon S. Miles, running low on ammunition, and not expecting relief from McClellan in time, decides to surrender his entire garrison. Miles was mortally wounded and died the following day. Jackson had gained one of the war's greatest victories for the Confederacy. The Federals lost 44 men killed, 173 wounded, and 12,419 captured. The Confederates lost 39 men killed, and 247 wounded. The Confederates also captured 13,000 small arms, 200 wagons, and 73 artillery pieces. Gen. Lee ordered Jackson to immediately concentrate his forces at Sharpsburg along Antietam Creek. Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill's division was left behind to parole the Harper's Ferry prisoners. Lt. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson 1863: While Confederate Lt. Gen. Braxton Bragg concentrates his Army of Tennessee around Chickamauga Creek in Georgia. Skirmishing with Federals under Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans continues at Summerville, Catlett's Gap, Pigeon Mountain, and Trion Factory, Georgia in the Chickamauga Campaign. Confederate General Birthdays, Sept. 15. None.
Looking for Civil War Recipes? Try Carolina Apple Snowballs.
Uh oh! I have seen to have hit my image max on my blogger account and I can't add anymore photos until I upgrade to a paid account which would cost $30 per year. I love blogging, but it is just a hobby for me. I am certainly not willing to pay money for a blog that makes me $0.00 in profit. I won't be going anywhere, but I'm experimenting with different, free ways to get my photos up here. In the meantime, please take a look at this tiny pocketbook from Godey's Lady's Book. A the image suggests, it is to be made in velvet or leather and includes two small pockets and a change pouch. The total pocketbook only measures 5 x 8cm when it is completed. I can't for the life of me figure out what the middle "holder" and "strap is for. My best guess is a skeleton key possibly. Maybe one of my readers knows or has a different guess. If I made this, I would probably put a few pencil ends in there, so I have them when I need them. This could easily be enlarged or adapted to make a "housewife," or sewing kit for soldiers. I diagrammed the pocketbook out below. It's a pretty straightforward pattern. I recommend using some thick fabric and stiffener under the "fashion fabric" to give it a sturdy shape and a good base for embroidery or beading. The pieces are cut out and the raw edges are bound with tape. These were popular embroidery items due to their small size. A great collection of purses for inspiration can be found at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Most of these purses are from the 1700s but they are so gorgeous!
Take steps towards a more sustainable wardrobe by shopping a little more like previous generations. Here are a few guidelines to help you get started!
Peterson's Magazine, December 1858. LAPL Visual Collections.
This is a recipe that I started making about 20 years ago. The kids were little and money was tight. I also was concerned about feeding them processed foods with preservatives and food dye in the…
There were many food shortages because of blockades. The following recipe provides flavors that substitute for pecans, which were hard to find. A very frugal recipe and tasty. Old Fashioned Oatmeal Pie Ingredients: 1 (9 inch) pie crust 4 eggs 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons flour 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup light corn syrup (sorghum or molasses during Civil War) 1/8 to 1/4 cup melted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup quick cooking oatmeal (uncooked) Directions: Preheat oven 350 degrees. Beat eggs until frothy. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in small bowl. Add eggs and mix well. Add corn syrup, melted butter and vanilla. Mix oatmeal. Pour into uncooked pie shell. Bake for 45 minutes. Source: Food, Faith, Family blog
During the American Civil War, women of the South were limited by the availability of products due to the blockade. The fabric was needed for the military, so women became creative with limited resources.
