Well done, EB—you certainly made me smile!
But clothing humor is not a modern
phenomenon, as we’ve already seen on NineteenTeen: 19th century folks liked to dress up in silly costumes as much as anyone, especially when there was a ball in the offing. Witness this charming couple at a costumed ball from the pages of
The Court and Lady’s Magazine, probably ca. 1838, trying to look like their grandparents did sixty years before (though the cut of the man's coat just screams late 1830s!)
In the same vein, notice the figures behind the main pair—it looks like the gentleman in the pink trousers raided his parents’ attic for that ca. 1805 coat and hat and exaggerated cravat! I'm not sure what his fair companion is supposed to be—a bank robber, maybe? Behind them I see a...a shepherd? And heaven knows what that other gentleman is supposed to be. ☺
And even more wonderful are these costumes from Petit Courrier des Dames, Journal des Modes from December 1833 with a distinctive international flair—and very short skirts!! I suppose if one is disguised as a Scottish (love the plaid ribbons lacing up her dancing slippers), Swiss (I think the braids, a la "Swiss Miss", are supposed to be the clincher), or German (okay, why this costume is supposed to be distinctively German somehow eludes me...) lady, it’s possible to get way with displaying one’s ankles and calves in such a fashion...though I'm not sure the ladies of Scotland, Switzerland, or Germany would have agreed that these were very representative.
Now, here’s some nice news that isn’t at all an April Fool joke: Between Silk and
Sand is a finalist in the young adult categories in both the Reader’s ChoiceAward contest of the New England Chapter of RWA and in the Write Touch Contest of Wisconsin RWA. Even if it isn't a joke, it has certainly made me smile!
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ReplyDeleteCongratulations, my dear! Well deserved.
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