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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: celia on Saturday 16 April 05 00:07 BST (UK)
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One of my G.G.Grandfathers was born in 1810 The family were mostly Mill worker's.I would be interested to find out what the style of dress would have been in 1810. That my G.G.G.Grandmother/Father might have worn for work or best.It would not have been fancy with such poor wages. What would the richer people have worn.I have searched many times over the years for pictures.I was hoping to put in my file, but never found any.Has anyone got any photo's or pictures or could describe the fashion of the time. Or what did your own ancestors wear?
Celia
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Hi Celia,
Something I have wondered. My favourite museum is the Museum of Costume in Bath. Unfortunately they have far more of the well-to-do's clothing. I suppose they weren't worn till they fell apart so have lasted.
I've found this article which may give you an idea. I was fascinated to read that while my English ancestors of this time would have been wearing mostly brown, my Welsh grandmothers would have worn a lot of blue! I know abt 1810 the upper classes were wearing what you see in the films of Jane Austen books. Soon after women were wearing corsets again though.
http://www.hms.org.uk/nelsonsnavyworkinw.htm
You've got me curious about the men now, great thread! ;)
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Hi -
Interestingly I have wounded the same thing about a week ago while watching a movie in the 1750.s . I went and " googled" for "Dresses" and found tons of interesting examples . While your ::) ;D :o ::) :-* :'( I pity some of the styles of the time. On the other hand what would they say about 2005 ???? I guess its all in the eye of the beholder.
David .
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It is not just what they dressed in, but that they only had one! Records of the 17th and 18th century often show that a suit of clothes came as part of the pay for a years wages for servants. Even the well off wore the same thing for months on end. It was still commen in many area until 1900 for people to be covered with fat and stitched into their underware for the winter! I have a book referring to this in Sussex as late as 1930. :o
Rod
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There are not many references on the net to ordinary folks clothing - other than they often didn't have many!
I like this one, which details Welsh costume
http://www.page-net.com/swansea.localhistory/llansamlet/pages/clothing.html
For example:
"...let the Carmarthenshire lasses, retaining their perfect innocence and pleasing simplicity of manners - wear their whittles forever rather than run like some of the Glamorgan harebrained wenches into the follies of fashion; ignorance of the English language guards many parts of Wales from a number of bad habits and from fashions..."
Arranroots ;)
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There are lots of images, it is knowing where to find them!
A good starting point might be the works of the great artist William Hogarth, who produced a number of memorable sketches on Georgian England, such as the cartoon of "Gin Lane". For a good sample try;
http://www.haleysteele.com/hogarth/toc.html
This might not be hard line name searching, but I always feel it gives a bit more colour to research, as do early black and white photos, if that is not a contradiction in terms!
If you are lucky and your family was in business, you even occasionally get a name over a shop, so even this line of research may be of use.
Rod
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It was still commen in many area until 1900 for people to be covered with fat and stitched into their underware for the winter! I have a book referring to this in Sussex as late as 1930. :o
Rod
My Dad joined the Army in 1942/3, did basic training with a lot of Scotsmen, and was astonished to see that they had been sewn into their underwear for the winter - he never mentioned the fat though ;D
Dad went on to be one of those first medics into Bergen Belson, 60 years ago yesterday. Guess we've come along way in a comparatively short time!
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Yucky how discusting,covered in fat and stitched into their underwere :o (the cross Chanel swimmers used fat) I would never have believed that if others hadn't mentioned it.I bet they didn't smell very nice.The ancestor mentioned above is my Scot's direct line on my mothers side. I think the reason the women in my family have always been called mean, me included ;D. Is because way back the ordinary worker as mentioned had very few clean clothing to change into.So they learned to be thrifty with them. Along with other things so if i am mean it's my ancestors fault ;D
I will have a look at the threads you have posted.As to what the people in the 1800's would think of todays fashion's.I think they would be called women of the street because they show much more than ankles ;D and yes what did the men wear?
Another thing i have always wanted to know is.How on earth did they wash their cloths or didn't they?
Celia
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I do know that in the early 1900s, my great grandmother used to take laundry in from the neighbors to wash, as a way of earning a few extra farthings for the family.
I also have from the 1841 Census that an ancestor was a clothing repairer in a clothes cleaning operation - right next to Shoreditch Workhouse. I dare say a barrel of dirty water and a block of carbolic brought everything up like new!
Which all proves I come from a family of scrubbers!
Nigel
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The men wore basically dark knee length trousers, socks and shoes (if they were lucky), a whiteish collarless shirts and a waistcoat and jacket. The sketches by Hogarth gives a very good idea.
As to washing, many Victorian houses had a "copper" in a shed in the yard. This was basically a big pan over an open fire that clothes were boiled in. Most people did not wash their clothes, many only did so a few times a year at most.
But they did not think they smelt as much as you might think! They were all the same, so no one noticed. It was just a natural background. But the smell of modern soap and chemical fresheners etc might be considered a smell by their standards!
The Hogarth link also implies what their world was like.
Rod
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:) :) :)
Most ordinary folk back then, were forced to wear second hand clothes,which goes to show that re-cycling is not a modern idea. These wonderful images of a Salford Market in the 1880's, show the sellers and the buyers.
:) :) :)
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:D :D
This time we see a solitary boot seller waiting for customers, and three other traders chating while they wait.
:) :)
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I can say that my ancestors had no back yard, and if they had any copper they would of sold it.
I have seen sketches from the 1860s of Bethnal Green that show rubbish heaps up to 10 feet high in the streets. So how a person smelt would be immaterial compared to the background. I can't see any of my ancestors using any form of oral hygene, so their breath would add to the ambiance.
Nigel
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Thanks Mobo for posting the pictures of Salford markets. 8)
My rels who are visiting from England have ancestors from Salford and appreciated looking at them.
meg :)
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Nigel,
I think that even in the crowded back to back slums there would have been one per street/block, near the communal (overflowing) privies. I have seen a plan of such a set up from the 1800s, but cannot recall where. It was the equivalent of a modern laundrette in a tower block and was not personally owned.
Rod
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When I was a young lad we lived in a back to back house in the middle of Birmingham.
In the yard at the back you had two toilets and a wash room for washing clothes. for about ten houses/families.and you could leave your door open with no fear of being killed or robbed
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Nigel,
Which all proves I come from a family of scrubbers!
Same here! :)
My Dad told me his father's family had a laundry business in the Weston-super-Mare area. In all the censuses most of the women describe themselves as 'laundress' so there must be some truth in it, but like you I think they probably took in washing at home.
Debbie
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Thanks for the information on the communal laundries - I've added that to my contextual information. In the C19th my family only selected the very worst slums to live in, including The Nichol in Bethnal Green (15 people and 2 pigs sharing a room according to one report of the time).
Debbie - I know that my great grandma had a set of regular clients and had to work from home to look after the kids and grandkids. She took in laundry for over 30 years.
Nigel
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As it is being discussed I add this for historical interest
An elderly Aunt of a friend of mine had left a notebook when she passed away, detailing her and her parents family life during the 19th & early 20th Century, in which she detailed (I will try to put this delicately) that her mother had earned an income by taking in Ladies Towels, which she laundered and returned for reuse....her job doesn't bear thinking about.
But, of course, we were not a throw away society back then!
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Wendi I bet you are proud of your dad,I know i would be.
MoBo Thank you for showing us the photo's they are lovely. I have noticed that in old pictures/photo's most of the women wore Shawls.So i used to presume it was fashionable or they didn't like coats.Of course i know know they just couldn't afford one.so probably just wore two sets of coathing instead.
Celia
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Wendi,
I suppose someone had to do it, and I think I'd have willingly paid for that someone to be someone else ;)
The idea could be on its way back though...there are laundry services for those who don't want to use 'ungreen' disposable nappies :o
Debbie