REIGN OF NAPOLEON I.
1804 TO 1814.
Fashions under the Empire—Sacks—“Personnes cossues”—A saying of
Napoleon’s—White gowns—Valenciennes lace—Ball dresses; walking
dresses—Polish “toquets” and bonnets—Turbans—Muslins—Artificial
flowers—Wenzel’s manufactory; “The Offspring of Imposture,”
Campenon’s verses—Parisian ladies, as sketched by Horace
Vernet—Stays—Cashmeres—Protest by Piis—Ternaux assists
in establishing the manufacture of cashmere shawls in
France—Cotton stuffs—Richard Lenoir; importance of the Rouen
manufacture—Violets during the Hundred Days—The “eighteen
folds,” and white silk.
Under the Empire, which was proclaimed in 1804, the fashion of short
waists continued in favour, and even developed into extraordinary
results. The fair sex adopted “sack” dresses, with the waist close
under the arms, and the bosom pushed up to the chin. This was far from
graceful, and a woman needed to be perfectly beautiful to look well in
such a costume.
Gold, precious stones, and diamonds were lavishly used. Numerous balls
were given, and official receptions held, and the dress of the women was
handsome, nay, even magnificent. Unfortunately, it was chiefly remarkable
for its bad taste. A Frenchwoman seemed to have attained the height of
glory when it could be said of her: “Voilà une personne cossue!”[55]
Napoleon wished his court to be splendid, and was accustomed to rebuke
ladies who committed the sin of economy.
“Madame la Maréchale,” said he one day to a lady, “your cloak is superb;
I have seen it a good many times.”
She took the hint. Extravagance prevailed in every class of society, we
might almost say “By order.”
Towards the same period, Gérard’s picture of Love and Psyche brought
pallor into fashion. Rouge was altogether abolished, white pearl-powder
was universally used, and women tried to be interesting by making up
their faces “à la Psyché.”
This departure from the ways of the eighteenth century did not prevent
Frenchwomen from continuing to borrow some few fashions from foreign
countries and other times, viz. Palatines from the north, Falbalas from
the reign of Louis XV., and some minor accessories from Spain, Italy,
Turkey, and England.
For the most part women wore fronts instead of their own hair, and
diamonds in place of flowers. They were above all anxious to show off
their wealth. Many of them were parvenues who sought to do honour to
their husbands’ position.
Yet the white gowns with spiral trimming of pink satin, and a wreath
of brightly coloured flowers round the bottom of the skirt, must have
been pretty. The bodice was fastened on the shoulders by many-coloured
ribbons, and trimmed at the neck with Valenciennes lace of great cost.
The bare arms were covered with long white gloves; round the throat was
a necklace of real pearls, and on the hair, worn in curls, a wreath of
roses.
Such a dress as the above was for ball-room wear; the skirt was short,
revealing the ankle and foot in a white satin shoe.
Walking costumes were much the same as to shape, with the exception of
the skirt, which was very long. They were much heavier by reason of the
kerchief round the neck, and the shawl covering the shoulders. Dresses
were worn “à la Jean de Paris,” an opera by Boïeldieu; the hair was
dressed “à la Chinoise,” with gold pins, from which hung little gold
balls.
With the same style of hair, the “cap-bonnet,” trimmed with feathers,
was fastened under the chin with silk strings. There were toquets of
embroidered tulle, and hats “à la Polonaise,” of a somewhat ungraceful
square shape; turbans also in clear muslin spotted with gold, and
turban-caps, both souvenirs of the Napoleonic victories in Egypt. How
many fine ladies resembled Mamelukes!
Some women wore cloth, merino, or velvet coats; and almost all
excessively short waists. Their gowns were indecently low. High gowns
made without fulness were frequently trimmed with many rows of flounces
or falbalas.
From the beginning of the century, the manufacture of muslin, which is
said to be so named from the town of Mossoul, had been greatly developed
at Tarare and St. Quentin.
In addition to this, the principal innovation of the period was the
definitive introduction of artificial flowers, which, until then, had
only been occasionally employed in feminine attire.
The Italians had long possessed the art of producing artificial flowers,
and had practised it with great success; but in France this branch of
industry had only been introduced in the year 1738. A man named Séguin,
a native of Mende, and a very clever chemist and botanist, succeeded in
manufacturing artificial flowers quite equal to those of Italy. He also
made them after the Chinese method, from the pith of the elder-tree; and
he was the first to invent a sort of flower made of silver-leaf, which
has been much used to ornament feminine attire.
Wenzel, a maker of artificial flowers in various materials, who received
an award at the Industrial Exhibition in 1802, sold very admirable
specimens of his art, and greatly contributed to the success of
artificial flowers when employed for the dress or hair. Flowers were worn
mingled with braids of false hair.
Philippe de la Renaudière dubbed these “the offspring of imposture.”
Campenon, in his “Maison des Champs,” exclaimed,—
“Oui, loin des champs, il est une autre Flore,
Que l’art fait naître et que Paris adore ...
Sur ces bouquets méconnus des zephirs,
Un pinceau sûr adroitemont dépose
L’or du genêt, le carmin de la rose,
Ou de l’iris nuance les saphirs;
Puis on les voit dans nos folles orgies,
Au sein des bals, loin des feux du soleil,
S’épanouir aux rayons des bougies.
L’art applaudit à leur éclat vermeil;
Mais sur ces fleurs, enfants d’une autre Flore,
Je cherche en vain les pleurs d’une autre Aurore.”[56]
The art of flower-making has made some progress since 1738 and 1802, and
it may be said that artificial flowers are indispensable to an elegant
costume.
The Empire was the period of “toquets” in embroidered tulle.
Horace Vernet, the great painter, although very young in 1813, has
portrayed “Les Dames de Paris” in the reign of the first Napoleon.
Nothing seems to us more hideous than their hats and feathers, their
sleeves tight to the wrist, and the embroidery on their gowns.
Mme. de Staël’s “Corinne” turned the heads of the fair sex in 1807 and
1808. They assumed an inspired expression, fancied themselves on Italian
shores, played on the harp, and wore scarfs that floated with every
breeze.
The fashions of the Empire have been much, yet on one important point,
perhaps, not sufficiently criticized. We allude to the use of stays,
which came in with the winter of 1809, and have held their place ever
since, in spite of all the sarcasm that has been lavished on those
mechanical aids to dress. By way of compensation, the Empire gave us
Cashmere shawls, first brought into France at the time of our Egyptian
expedition (1798-1802). Previously to that, Tippoo-Saïb had included
shawls among the gifts he had sent to Louis XVI.; but they were not
generally worn until later. Piis wrote the following lines on the
subject:—
“D’ailleurs, ces schalls si solides,
Que vous portez à l’envi,
A des Arabes perfides
De ceintures ont servi.
Ah! de ces tissus profanes
Comme à mon tour je rirai,
Si le goût des caravanes
Par eux vous est inspiré.”[57]
Cashmere shawls are so called from the capital of a province in Asia,
within the territories of the Great Mogul. About 100,000 shawls were made
yearly in Kashmir.
Guillaume Louis Ternaux was the first to imitate the famous Indian
shawls, and then conceived the idea of naturalizing in France the
Thibet goats, whose hair had hitherto been exclusively employed in
their manufacture. For this purpose, and at great cost, he despatched
M. Joubert, of the National Library, who was well acquainted with the
Oriental tongues, to Thibet. M. Joubert gathered together a flock of 1500
goats, only 256 of which reached France, and were distributed over the
southern provinces. Thanks to Ternaux, Cashmere shawls have become one of
the most splendid adornments of feminine dress. On their first appearance
they delighted both Paris and the provinces. Their marvellous texture,
consisting principally of the soft hair of acclimatized Thibet goats,
elicited universal admiration.
At first no French manufacturer ventured to imitate so delicate a tissue,
such extraordinary lightness, such curious patterns; but after a time
an attempt was made to reproduce Thibet cashmeres by means of cotton,
silk, and wool, which, however, were found to be wanting in softness. At
a later period the hair of Kirghis goats from Russia was successfully
employed, and thus a sufficient softness was obtained for the “French
cashmeres.”
The sway of cashmeres has its vicissitudes and lapses. For awhile they
vanish from the scene, and then, after an interval, they regain their
well-deserved place in the public esteem. When an occasion arises on
which very grand and imposing attire is required a woman of fashion buys
one of those splendid products of the Indies.
At solemn family gatherings, a cashmere is indispensable; it proclaims
the wealth of the wearer.
The cotton manufactures of France were of little importance until 1787,
in which year the Government set up spinning machinery at Rouen; but
the manufacture began to flourish only under the First Empire, when
the energy of Richard Lenoir contributed greatly to its success. From
the time that machinery was substituted for the old spinning-wheel, an
amount of labour which formerly employed a thousand spinners could be
accomplished by a mere child.
For more than sixty years the coloured cottons manufactured at Rouen, and
called in consequence “Rouenneries,” have served to clothe the majority
of Frenchwomen.
During the Hundred Days, succeeding the return of Napoleon from Elba,
violets became the fashion. They were regarded as a political emblem.
From May 20, 1815, no Imperialist lady appeared in public without a large
bunch of violets on her breast. Some morning caps were trimmed with
violets and immortelles side by side, and several jewellers manufactured
ornaments of the same design. On the other hand, the Royalist ladies
wore jaconet gowns with eighteen tucks in the skirt, in honour of Louis
XVIII., and bonnets of white silk striped with plaited straw, a small
square cashmere shawl with a vermilion border, and dark blue prunella
boots.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: Restoration 1815
Restoration 1830]