Fairfax project 1750s

New week, new task. Travelling back in time ( wibble wobble, wibble wobble) to 1750 or there abouts.  Location Fairfax House o Castlegate, York.  Minor difficulty is that the house was built 5 years into the future, but the portrait I'm taking inspiration from did exist, and hung and currently hangs there.

Hope that is clear.

in situ in her bedroom

The portrait is of Anne Fairfax is dated 1750, showing her as a young lady shepherdess. ( quite a common conceit  - see It's About Time for more imagery.)  Lady Anne was the only surviving daughter of Charles, 9th Viscount Fairfax of Emley  and the house was built for her. The painting  hangs in her bedroom facing the bed and she apparently was very fond of it.
The painter, a French artist who worked extensively in England, is Phillip Mercier. He lived in York for a time, painting many of the society ladies.  
 The painting is very whimsical, but I think I quite like it because it raises questions,   the rose at her breast is rather odd - painted differently, and there is a mystery orange line across her chest, plus one of the sheep looks like a neighbour, but it will do as the start point for a costume task.  I would like to recreate this - or something based on it. ( If it goes well in diddy scale  it might get made full size!) 

quick initial sketches and notes

The painting does pose some problems - it was about her and the allegory, not her dress. The two sleeves are different - one fits smoothly at the shoulder but the other is gathered into pleats, there is a faint line down the centre forn suggesting  a seam or an opening, but the brush work at the junction of bodice and skirt is so loose it is going to be interpretation and best guess. My assumption is that the dress is conventional, a closed bodice over a full skirt. The closest example I have found so far is the 1780 wedding dress from the V&A exhibition to the left. The low scooped neck, tight bodice and pleated skirt are what I am imaging. Just 30 years difference.

But the current question is really about the fabric. It shines so must be satin or silk, but it looks much softer in the creases and on the surface than the pink drapery, so it can't be the same as that. Could it be fine velvet?  I took some samples of satins and silks in to compare with the painting and remained unconvinced by any of them.

While all of this is happening I have not been idle - much.  I am now in possession of a 12 inch artist's mannequin and am trying to make the underwear to fit. It is currently nameless.

Progress  so far has been good, 'she' has  a chemise - with gussets!, an approximation of stays, and even pocket panniers.

The chemise is to an C18th pattern, the standard issue, rectangles and underarm gussets (- much the same as the blue print used for gentleman's shirts)

very masculine....

The stays were more of a challenge - boning, binding and eyelets! The boning I will admit to being narrow cableties, The binding is the smallest I could make, and the eyelets - I know they should have been hand done but.... so they are just what I had and are completely huge!  The first try was agonising but these ( version 2) went together quite simply.
The stays are really so that I could alter the shape of the torso - widening at the top and narrowing at the waist to the C18th cone shape. This is partially sucessful so more padding may be needed. Added padding to the upper back as well as bust  and it has made such a difference- happier now. 

They could do with more tabs at the waist but that will have to happen on the next ones.  

To give the exaggerated hips I decided on pocket hoops/panniers - small cages either side rather than the full width one more associated with formal or court dress. The discussion was whether to go for bum pads but actually wanted to try out the panniers! Umm.

They were based on a pair on display in the 'Head to Toe, Accessorising the Georgians' exhibition currently on at Fairfax House. Although fiddly at this scale they were fairly straightforward- channels were made in the outer panel, one side of the inner panel was attached, the bones slotted in and the other side seam made.

That the inner panel is narrower than the outer gives the tension to create the required curve. The top is pleated  to fit to the waist and sewn onto a band. Simple!

The overall silhouette is an improvement- would still like to pull the waist in more - the contrast between waist and hip should increase anyway as the petticoats are added so this is not crisis thinking yet.

Wonder if I would warm to her if she had hair?
Definitely lacks personality at present. Any suggestions for a name?

You never know - might have tidied up by next week.

gentleman's toiles

week II  - Northern College of Costume.  1830 Gentleman's outfit - toiles.


 Not a powerful lot to show for a challenging week. This was a preparation week - finishing drafting, drawing up, constructing toiles, a first fitting, and redrafting. In amongst this we also fitted a day of fly fronts and split fall samples. Add into that waistcoat collar and buttonhole  traumas plus a visit to the Quilting Museum to see the costume exhibition, and it seems amazing that it was only 5 days.
In fact it was so engaging that I forgot to take photos of most of it- again. Did get the camera out but not much further....

Main task of the week was finishing drafting and assembling the Cossack trousers, waistcoat and frockcoat for the 1830s gentleman's outfit.  We were working from the patterns set out by R I Davis in  Men's Seventeenth & Eighteenth Century Costume: Cut and Fashion   which are long lists of  dot to dot  coordinates and instructions with line diagrams. Should end up something like this from the V&A.
 Getting started was scary - there was maths involved but thankfully  a logic in the construction  which helped. The drafted patterns were then transferred to calico,  cut out, marked up and assembled into the toile (test garment).

pattern for the frock coat



brave soul!

  The deadline for this was Thursday when my poor victim was coming in for the first fitting. This should have been traumatic as most of the measurements were guess work.( the one we actually had was wrong!) but it went very well. Some parts  - neck lines - have to go out a bit, the shirt collar redone completely, some parts have to get longer - the waist of both trousers and waistcoat plus the coat hem, and  we are creating a side seam in the coat to give the torso more shape.  These adjustments have been made on the pattern pieces and some have been redrawn ready for  next week when we make up the trousers for real.  I'll show the fabric and details of the design and construction in the next post.

The other practical this week was samples for trouser fastenings; button flies and splitfalls.  Guest tutor Julia took us for this - we made calico and woollen cloth samples for the flies and just a calico for the splitfalls.
Flies seem to have an accepted standard layout but the splifalls seem to be more of a moveable feast, the principle remains but the number and placement of buttons, plackets, etc, can changeable. Where the photos  for the wool cloth flies and the splitfalls are I don't know! - just imagine them - like the example from Augusta Auctions, beautiful, precise, immaculate - I wish! The idea is that there are flaps that crossover and fasten with buttons behind the front panel that covers all the draughty bits and buttons up like a bib front. The 2 buttons either side at the waist are for braces.


example from Augusta Auctions

 The first revision is done - replacing the shirt collar was completed yesterday - lounging on the sofa, munching raspberries and cashews, watching a borrowed film- The Company of Strangers- worth a watch if you are after something intriguing and quiet rather than dramatic.