The 1870's - 1880's: "The Late Victorian Era"
techniques to the exquisite Lyon silks, French tulle, and
fanciful trimmings. The 1870's and 1880's are also
renowned for fashion illustration. Along with a surge of
talented engravers and illustrators, chromolithography
made it possible to print illustrations at a lower cost.
Artists interpreted the designs of fashion leader Charles
Worth and the growing number of couture houses in
Paris including the newly opened shops of Redfern,
Creed, and Doucet. Magazines with detailed colored
fashion plates communicated style trends and were one
of the modern advancements sweeping the world.
While
elements of the designs by Charles Worth were
copied (the bustle, swags, and ultra-fitted bodice), he
had access to the finest French materials. No seamstress
could duplicate his tulle trimmings, handmade silk
flowers, and knife-pleated trims nor his princess-line
bodice which was made popular by one of his premier
clients, Alexandra, Princess of Wales.
In
America, life was defined by living in the city vs.
the countryside. Growth in the steel iron, coal, and oil
industries amassed great wealth for industrialists as they
created more jobs for working class men. Upper and middle
class society viewed a woman's work to be in the
home while a man's place was in the business world.
"The
Gilded Age" emphasized the vast gap between
the haves and have nots. As wealthy and middle class
women rode their carriages to the department stores to
shop the latest fashions, Montgomery Ward's catalog
introduced the concept of mail order for rural dwellers.
Playing lawn tennis and sitting in box seats at the theatre
were activities of the wealthy, but all classes enjoyed a
day at the beach, a park, or skating on a frozen pond.