Georgiana Spencer

Georgiana Spencer, Duchess of Devonshire

The Duchess of Devonshire is famous not only for her marital arrangements, her catastrophic affairs, her beauty and sense of style and best clothes, and her political campaigning

During her years in the public eye, Georgiana was painted several times by both Thomas

Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds.

Gainsborough's painting of her around 1785, in a large black hat (a style which she made sensationally

fashionable, and came to be known as the 'Gainsborough' or 'portrait' hat), has become famous for its

fascinating history. 

Portrait of Lady Georgiana, Lady Henrietta Frances and George John Spencer, Viscount Althorp. 1774

Georgiana Spencer, Duchess of Devonshire was one of the most famous ladies of the Georgiana era. Known for her beauty and sense of style and fashionable clothes, she was a trendsetter of the time, an icon. She was also famous for her political activism. Friend of Queen Marie Antoinette and ancestor of Lady Diana, Princess of Wells. Georgiana was painted several times by both Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds.

The 1785 Thomas Gainsborough painting of Lady Georgiana with the famous large black hat, witch immediately become very fashionable and came to be known as the 'Gainsborough' or 'portrait'

hat.

Inspired maybe by the duchess of Devonshire 'Gainsborough' or 'portrait' hat the big black hat seems

to be a must have fashion item in the 1780s.

The fashionable headpieces of the time, among them the 'Gainsborough' or 'portrait' hat, the trend Georgiana created

. A significant shift in culture occurred in France and elsewhere at the beginning of the 18th century,

known as the Enlightenment, which valued reason over authority.  In France, the sphere of influence

for art, culture and fashion shifted from Versailles to Paris, where the educated bourgeoisie class

gained influence and power in salons and cafés.  The new fashions introduced therefore had a greater

impact on society, affecting not only royalty and aristocrats, but also middle and even lower classes. 

Ironically, the single most important figure to establish Rococo fashions was Louis XV’s mistress

Madame Pompadour.  She adored pastel colors and the light, happy style which came to be known as

Rococo, and subsequently light stripe and floral patterns became popular.  Towards the end of the

period, Marie Antoinette became the leader of French fashion, as did her dressmaker Rose Bertin. 

Extreme extravagance was her trademark, which ended up majorly fanning the flames of the French

Revolution.

Fashion designers gained even more influence during this era, as people scrambled to be clothed in

the latest styles.  Fashion magazines emerged during this era, originally aimed at intelligent readers,

but quickly capturing the attention of lower classes with their colorful illustrations and up-to-date

fashion news.  Even though the fashion industry was ruined temporarily in France during the

Revolution, it flourished in other European countries, especially England.

During this period, a new silhouette for women was developing. 

Panniers, or wide hoops worn under the skirt that extended sideways, became a staple.  Extremely

wide panniers were worn to formal occasions, while smaller ones were worn in everyday settings. 

Waists were tightly constricted by corsets, provided contrasts to the wide skirts.  Plunging necklines

also became common.  Skirts usually opened at the front, displaying an underskirt or

petticoat. Pagoda sleeves arose about halfway through the 18th century, which were tight from

shoulder to elbow and ended with flared lace and ribbons.  There were a few main types of dresses

worn during this period.  The Watteau gown had a loose back which became part of the full skirt and a

tight bodice.  The robe à la française a lso had a tight bodice with a low-

cut square neckline, usually with large ribbon bows down the front, wide panniers, and was lavishly

trimmed with all manner of lace, ribbon, and flowers.  The robe à l’anglais featured a snug bodice with

a full skirt worn without panniers, usually cut a bit longer in the back to form a small train, and often

some type of lace kerchief was worn around the neckline.  These gowns were often worn with short,

wide-lapeled jackets modeled after men’s redingotes.  Marie Antoinette introduced the chemise à la

reine(pictured right), a loose white gown with a colorful silk sash around the waist.  This was

considered shocking for women at first, as no corset was worn and the natural figure was apparent. 

However, women seized upon this style, using it as a symbol of their increased liberation.

Women’s heels became much daintier with slimmer heels and pretty decorations.  At the beginning of

the period, women wore their hair tight to the head, sometimes powdered or topped with lace

kerchiefs, a stark contrast to their wide panniers.  However, hair progressively was worn higher and

higher until wigs were required.  These towering tresses were elaborately curled and adorned with

feathers, flowers, miniature sculptures and figures.  Hair was powdered with wheat meal and flour,

which caused outrage among lower classes as the price of bread became dangerously high.

Men generally wore different variations of the habit à la française: a coat,

waistcoat, and breeches.  The waistcoat was the most decorative piece, usually lavishly embroidered

or displaying patterned fabrics.  Lace jabots were still worn tied around the neck.  Breeches usually

stopped at the knee, with white stockings worn underneath and heeled shoes, which usually had large

square buckles.  Coats were worn closer to the body and were not as skirt-like as during the Baroque

era.  They were also worn more open to showcase the elaborate waistcoats.  Tricorne hats became

popular during this period, often edged with braid and decorated with ostrich feathers.  Wigs were

usually worn by men, preferably white.  The cadoganstyle of men’s hair developed and became

popular during th e period, with horizontal rolls of hair over the

ears.  French elites and aristocrats wore particularly lavish clothing and were often referred to

as ”Macaronis,” as pictured in the caricature on the right.  The lower class loathed their open show of

wealth when they themselves dressed in little more than rags. 

Fashion played a large role in the French Revolution.  Revolutionaries characterized themselves by

patriotically wearing the tricolor—red, white, and blue—on rosettes, skirts, breeches, etc.  Since most

of the rebellion was accomplished by the lower class, they called themselves sans-culottes, or “without

breeches,” as they wore ankle-length trousers of the working class.  This caused knee breeches to

become extremely unpopular and even dangerous to wear in France.  Clothing became a matter of life

or death; riots and murders could be caused simply because someone was not wearing a tricolor

rosette and people wearing extravagant gowns or suits were accused of being aristocrats.

The Rococo era was defined by seemingly contrasting aspects: extravagance and a quest for

simplicity, light colors and heavy materials, aristocrats and the bourgeoisie.  This culmination

produced a very diverse era in fashion like none ever before.  Although this movement was largely

ended with the French Revolution, its ideas and main aspects strongly affected future fashions for

decades.

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Fashions of the Middle Classes, as Portrayed by Paper   Dolls

Posted in Baroque/Rococo 1650-1800, tagged baroque, colonialism, europe, fashion,history, middle class, paper

dolls, rococo on April 9, 2012 | 3 Comments »

These lovely paper dolls by Tom Tierney show the fashions of the middle/merchant class of the

Baroque and Rococo periods.  Styles worn by the nobles and royalty were similar in structure, but

much more extravagant and exaggerated.

PLATE 1

c. 1650    The woman wears a high-waisted dress with a falling, wide lace collar and turned-back lace

cuffs common during the early Baroque era.  The man wears a cavalier-style outfit with a high-waisted

jacket, wide lace collar, lace cuffs, and high boots.  Decorative canes became very popular during this

period and many men would carry them around as an accessory.

PLATE 2

c. 1660    The woman on the left wears the German fashions of the period, with puffed sleeves, a small

hooped skirt, and a fur hat.  The woman on the right is dressed in the Scandinavian style, with a

brocade palatine or capelet over her shoulders and a white cap.  Both women wear decorative aprons

and a “housewife” hanging from their waists.

PLATE 3

c. 1670    The woman wears a wide collar trimmed with ermine fur, a muff, a hood, and a velvet mask

to keep out the cold.  Her underskirt is trimmed with gold embroidery and her bodice and sleeves are

trimmed with ribbons.  The man wears a long coat, breeches with hose underneath, and a wide-

brimmed hat with feathers on it.  He also carries a cane.

PLATE 4

c. 1690    The man wears Rhinegrave breeches under a long, buttoned coat, a lace jabot, and large

boots.  His hair is worn long and free in the style of Louis XIV.  The woman wears a

high fontage headdress and the stiff stomacher that returned to fashion in the latter part of the

Baroque period.  Her decorative apron, headdress, and sleeves are all lavishly trimmed with lace.

PLATE 5

c. 1720    This period was a transition from Baroque to Rococo fashions, and so incorporated styles

from both eras.  The man wears a long coat buttons at the middle, knee breeches, hose, and buckled

shoes.  His sleeves are loose and cuffed, showing the undershirt underneath.  The woman wears a

flowered robe à l’anglais with large cuffs and a lace collar.

PLATE 6

c. 1730    Both women wear a robe à la française in the “Watteau” or “flying” style, in which the back

hung loose from the bodice.  Small panniers are worn, but only aristocratic women and royalty wore

the ridiculously wide panniers.  The woman on the right’s bodice is adorned with ribbon bows down the

front and has large cuffed sleeves.  The woman on the left wears a lace cap common during the

period.

PLATE 7

c. 1750    The woman on the left wears a hooded capuchin cape trimmed with fur and ribbons.  The

woman on the right wears a gown with large cuffed sleeves and a fichu around the neck and

shoulders.  She also wears a mobcap tied under the chin with a ribbon.

PLATE 8

c. 1770    The woman wears a solid colored gown with embroidery at the opening of the overskirt and

bodice.  A quilted underskirt is worn underneath.  She also has sleeves flared at the elbow and wears

her hair powdered and curled, common during the last part of the Rococo era.  The man wears a

brocade silk vest under a long coat lined with silk with large buttonholes down the side, as well as a

tricorn hat and buckled shoes.  His hair is also powdered and is tied back with a ribbon.

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The Baroque Period in all its   Grandiloquence

Posted in Baroque/Rococo 1650-1800, tagged baroque, Bourbon monarchs, cavalier,europe, fashion, history, louis

xiv, the sun king, versailles on April 7, 2012 | 1 Comment »

The rise of Louis XIV, the Sun King, and his court at Versailles, signaled the dawn of the Classical

Baroque era in art, architecture, music, and fashion.  It was defined by natural, curving silhouettes,

flowing lines, gold filigree, rich colors, and overall voluptuousness.  Clothing contained an abundance

of lace, pearls, ribbons, and gold embroidery, and was refreshingly free from the excessive decoration

of the Renaissance.  Fashion changed rapidly:  the growing middle class would copy the styles of the

nobles, who would in turn create new fashions to stay more “refined” than the middle class.  Unlike

earlier periods, where bodices, sleeves, skirts, jackets, and breeches were made to mix and match,

clothing during this period was made as separate and entire matching outfits, often made of the same

fabric.  This was referred to as en suite, and was the predecessor for our modern-day “suit.” 

Seasonality also began to be widely used, a grateful relief from yearlong, heavy gowns and doublets as

worn during the Renaissance.  The most important development of this period was the rise of fashion

designers after Louis XIV certified the establishment of a dress-makers guild.  This profession

contained both men and women.  The most popular designers were well-pursued by the nobility and

even the middle class. 

Women.  Women’s clothing became much less restricting.  Flexible

stays replaced hard, tight-fitting corsets.  Flowing lace collars replaced stiff ruffs.  Large farthingales

were abandoned and skirts were merely layered or padded at the hips to produce a full, flowing look. 

Usually two skirts were worn, the overskirt (manteau) open at the front and usually forming a train or

bustle at the back, and an underskirt.  Decorative aprons became popular with the middle classes. 

The plunging neckline called the décolletage became common, often accompanied with wide lace

collars.  Waistlines were also high during the first part of the period, though long, pointed bodices and

stiff stomachers came back during the latter half of the period.  Sleeves were large, gathered at the

wrist or elbow and often with turned-back lace cuffs.  They progressively became more and more

ruffled and segmented as the period progressed.  Solid-colored silks and brocades were used more

often than patterned fabrics, and usually decorations consisted only of lace, tied  or rosetted ribbons,

limited embroidery, and simple pearl jewelry.

Women wore their hair in tight curls at the forehead and on both sides of the head, called

“heartbreakers,” during the first half of the period.  However, hairstyles progressively became higher

(fontage hairstyles).  Lips and cheeks were often rouged, something previously only done by

courtesans.  Face patches made of silk and velvet and cut into small shapes became very popular. 

Since people believed water was bad for the skin, bathing was not a regular activity.  To cover up body

odor, people wore profuse amounts of perfume and carried around scented purses.  Shoes acquired

pointed toes and high heels, but women’s shoes were ironically much simpler than men’s.  Jewelry was

very simple during this period, consisting of single strings of pearls or diamonds or sometimes a ribbon

tied around the neck.