THE FREAKS OF FASHION. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE CHANGES IN THE CORSET AND CRINOLINE, FROM REMOTE PERIODS TO THE PRESENT TIME
Author: Anonymous (William Berry Lord)
Title: THE FREAKS OF FASHION. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE CHANGES IN THE CORSET AND CRINOLINE, FROM REMOTE PERIODS TO THE PRESENT TIME
Publication: London, England: Ward, Lock, and Tyler, c. 1870
Description: Hardcover. Octavo, 8.4 x 6.5 in., pp. xii + 9-227. Illustrated with frontispiece and 53 additional black and whole line drawings. Possible replacement image to p. 80. Red cloth boards with black frame, gilt title, and black and gilt-framed black illustration to front. Gilt title to spine. Rubbing to extremities; light soiling to boards. Bumped corners, several worn through to cardboard. Marbled endpapers. One inch tear to top of rear joint; Shelf-fraying to spine caps. Interior unmarked. Good Plus.
"Now that the doors have closed to get ready for the big move, volunteers and staff have started the Herculean task of cataloging and packing each artifact. During my usual afternoon to volunteer, I found this book. It was so interesting that I had to write about it. The book's title is "Freaks of Fashion" with illustrations of the changes in corsets and crinolines, from remote periods to the present time. It was printed in London by Ward, Lock, and Tyler, Warwick House, Paternoster Row. Looking in the last chapter, "the present time" was around 1868.
The first example of a corset was a description of a primitive man making himself a wide belt to hold his knife, quiver, and other hunting gear. For security, he used laces to tighten the belt so it would stay in place. The last illustration in the book is of two ladies wearing the 1868 fashion of a glove-tight-fitted corset along with a cage undergarment called the Zephyrina jupon.
As I read through the book and enjoyed the illustrations, I realized that women and girls had only a few fashions that didn't have them strapped into some kind of contraption so tightly that some would faint. The corset was made from many types of material. Some were made with heavy cloth such as sailcloth and were laced in the front. Others were made of cloth with bone or metal called stays. Those corsets usually hooked in the front and laced in the back. During the reign of the first Queen Elizabeth, corsets were made of metal. One description by a French writer is: "This formidable corset was hardened and stiffened in every imaginable way; it descended in a long hard point and rose stiff and tight to the throat, making the wearers look as if they were imprisoned in a close-fitting fortress."
Crinolines are another undergarment that came in and out of fashion. One style was a round hoop of crinoline that extended out from the waist for over 18 inches and draped downward. This style did not go to the floor. Women could show her ankles! There were crinolines that had hoops spaced down the skirt. Each hoop was larger than the one before. This style helped with the illusion of a very small waist. Other fashions had women and men wearing up to three or four ruffs around their necks which restricted turning their head. There were big ruffs made like a large fan that was worn behind the lady's head.
This book also has information on jewelry, shoes, stockings, and makeup worn with each fashion. Since "Freaks of Fashion" was written before the bustle was designed, I wonder what the authors would have said about it." (from The Tribune Star, Terra Houte, IN).
Seller ID: 85807
