The note of the time, as we look at it with our eyes keen on the
picture, is the final evolution of the hood. Bit by bit, inch by
inch, the plain fabric has become enriched, each succeeding step in an
elaboration of the simple form; the border next to the face is turned
back, then the hood is lined with fine stuff and the turnover shows
this to advantage; then the sides are split and the back is made more
full; then a tag is sewn on to the sides by which means the cut side
may be fastened off the shoulders. The front is now stiffened and
shaped at an angle, this front is sewn with jewels, and, as the angle
forms a gap between the forehead and the point of the hood, a pad is
added to fill in the vacant space. At last one arrives at the
diamond-shaped head-dress worn in this reign, and, in this reign,
elaborated in every way, elaborated, in fact, out of existence. In
order to make the head-dress in its 1509 state you must make the white
lining with the jewelled turnover as a separate cap. However, I think
that the drawings speak for themselves more plainly than I can write.
[Illustration: {Four types of head-dress for women}]
Every device for crowding jewels together was used, criss-cross, in
groups of small numbers, in great masses. Pendants were worn, hung
upon jewelled chains that wound twice round the neck, once close to
the neck, the second loop loose and passed, as a rule, under the lawn
shift. Large brooches decorated the bodices, brooches with drop
ornaments, the body of the brooch of fine gold workmanship, many of
them wrought in Italy. The shift, delicately embroidered with black
silk, had often a band of jewellery upon it, and this shift was square
cut, following the shape of the bodice.
The bodice of the gown was square cut and much stiffened to a box-like
shape. The sleeves of the gown were narrow at the shoulders, and after
fitting the arm for about six inches down from the shoulders, they
widened gradually until, just below the elbow, they became square and
very full; in this way they showed the false under-sleeve. This
under-sleeve was generally made of a fine rich-patterned silk or
brocade, the same stuff which formed the under-gown; the sleeve was a
binding for the very full lawn or cambric sleeve which showed in a
ruffle at the wrist and in great puffs under the forearm. The
under-sleeve was really more like a gauntlet, as it was generally held
together by buttoned tags; it was puffed with other coloured silk,
slashed to show the shift, or it might be plain.
Now the sleeve of the gown was subject to much alteration. It was, as
I have described, made very square and full at the elbow, and over
this some ladies wore a false sleeve of gold net--you may imagine the
length to which net will go, studied with jewels, crossed in many
ways, twisted into patterns, sewn on to the sleeve in sloping
lines--but, besides this, the sleeve was turned back to form a deep
square cuff which was often made of black or coloured velvet, or of
fur.
[Illustration: {A woman of the time of Henry VIII.; a head-dress}]
In all this I am taking no account of the German fashions, which I
must describe separately. Look at the drawings I have made of the
German fashion. I find that they leave me dumb--mere man has but a
limited vocabulary when the talk comes to clothes--and these dresses
that look like silk pumpkins, blistered and puffed and slashed, sewn
in ribs, swollen, and altogether so queer, are beyond the furious
dashes that my pen makes at truth and millinery. The costumes of the
people of this age have grown up in the minds of most artists as being
inseparable from the drawings of Holbein and Duerer.
[Illustration: {Two women of the time of Henry VIII.}]
Surely, I say to myself, most people who will read this will know
their Holbein and Duerer, between whom there lies a vast difference,
but who between them show, the one, the estate of England, and the
other, those most German fashions which had so powerful an influence
upon our own. Both these men show the profusion of richness, the
extravagant follies of the dress of their time, how, to use the words
of Pliny: 'We penetrate into the bowels of the earth, digging veins of
gold and silver, and ores of brass and lead; we seek also for gems and
certain little pebbles. Driving galleries into the depths, we draw out
the bowels of the earth, that the gems we seek may be worn on the
finger. How many hands are wasted in order that a single joint may
sparkle! If any hell there were, it had assuredly ere now been
disclosed by the borings of avarice and luxury!'
[Illustration: A WOMAN OF THE TIME OF HENRY VIII. (1509-1547)
Notice the wide cuffs covered with gold network, and the rich panel
of the under-skirt.]
[Illustration: {A woman of the time of Henry VIII.; three types of
sleeve}]
Or in the writings of Tertullian, called by Sigismund Feyerabendt,
citizen and printer of Frankfort, a 'most strict censor who most
severely blames women:' 'Come now,' says Tertullian, 'if from the
first both the Milesians sheared sheep, and the Chinese spun from the
tree, and the Tyrians dyed and the Phrygians embroidered, and the
Babylonians inwove; and if pearls shone and rubies flashed, if gold
itself, too, came up from the earth with the desire for it; and if
now, too, no lying but the mirror's were allowed, Eve, I suppose,
would have desired these things on her expulsion from Paradise, and
when spiritually dead.'
One sees by the tortured and twisted German fashion that the hair was
plaited, and so, in curves and twists, dropped into coarse gold-web
nets, thrust into web nets with velvet pouches to them, so that the
hair stuck out behind in a great knob, or at the side in two
protuberances; over all a cap like to the man's, but that it was
infinitely more feathered and jewelled. Then, again, they wore those
hideous barbes or beard-like linen cloths, over the chin, and an
infinite variety of caps of linen upon their heads--caps which showed
always the form of the head beneath.
[Illustration: {A woman of the time of Henry VIII.; three types of
hat for women}]
In common with the men, their overcoats and cloaks were voluminous,
and needed to be so if those great sleeves had to be stuffed into
them; fur collars or silk collars, with facings to match, were rolled
over to show little or great expanses of these materials.
Here, to show what dainty creatures were our lady ancestors, to show
from what beef and blood and bone we come, I give you (keep your eye
meanwhile upon the wonderful dresses) the daily allowance of a Maid of
Honour.
Every morning at breakfast one chyne of beef from the
kitchen, one chete loaf and one maunchet at the pantry
bar, and one gallon of ale at the buttery bar.
For dinner a piece of beef, a stroke of roast and a
reward from the kitchen. A caste of chete bread from the
pantry bar, and a gallon of ale at the buttery bar.
Afternoon--should they suffer the pangs of hunger--a
maunchet of bread from the pantry bar, and a gallon of
ale at the buttery bar.
Supper, a messe of pottage, a piece of mutton and a
reward from the kitchen. A caste of chete bread from the
pantry bar, and a gallon of ale at the buttery bar.
After supper--to insure a good night's rest--a chete
loaf and a maunchet from the pantry bar, and half a
gallon of ale from the seller bar.
Four and a half gallons of ale! I wonder did they drink it all
themselves? All this, and down in the mornings in velvets and silks,
with faces as fresh as primroses.
It is the fate of all articles of clothing or adornment, naturally
tied or twisted, or folded and pinned by the devotees of fashion, to
become, after some little time, made up, ready made, into the shapes
which had before some of the owner's mood and personality about them.
These hoods worn by the women, these wide sleeves to the gowns, these
hanging sleeves to the overcoats, the velvet slip of under-dress, all,
in their time, became falsified into ready-made articles. With the
hoods you can see for yourselves how they lend themselves by their
shape to personal taste; they were made up, all ready sewn; where pins
had been used, the folds of velvet at the back were made steadfast,
the crimp of the white linen was determined, the angle of the
side-flap ruled by some unwritten law of mode. In the end, by a
process of evolution, the diamond shape disappeared, and the cap was
placed further back on the head, the contour being circular where it
had previously been pointed. The velvet hanging-piece remained at the
back of the head, but was smaller, in one piece, and was never pinned
up, and the entire shape gradually altered towards, and finally into,
the well-known Mary Queen of Scots head-dress, with which every reader
must be familiar.
[Illustration: {Two women of the time of Henry VIII.}]
It has often occurred to me while writing this book that the absolute
history of one such head-dress would be of more help than these
isolated remarks, which have to be dropped only to be taken up in
another reign, but I have felt that, after all, the arrangement is
best as it stands, because we can follow, if we are willing, the
complete wardrobe of one reign into the next, without mixing the two
up. It is difficult to keep two interests running together, but I
myself have felt, when reading other works on the subject, that the
way in which the various articles of clothing are mixed up is more
disturbing than useful.
The wide sleeve to the gown, once part and parcel of the gown, was at
last made separate from it--as a cuff more than a sleeve naturally
widening--and in the next reign, among the most fashionable, left out
altogether. The upper part of the dress, once cut low and square to
show the under-dress, or a vest of other stuff, was now made, towards
the end of the reign, with a false top of other stuff, so replacing
the under-dress.
Lacing was carried to extremes, so that the body was pinched into the
hard roll-like appearance always identified with this time; on the
other hand, many, wiser women I should say, were this the place for
morals, preferred to lace loose, and show, beneath the lacing, the
colour of the under-dress.
Many were the varieties of girdle and belt, from plain silk sashes
with tasselled ends to rich jewelled chain girdles ending in heavy
ornaments.
For detail one can do no better than go to Holbein, the master of
detail, and to-day, when photographs of pictures are so cheap, and
lives of painters, copiously illustrated, are so easily attainable at
low prices, it is the finest education, not only in painting, but in
Tudor atmosphere and in matters of dress, to go straightway and study
the master--that master who touched, without intention, on the moral
of his age when he painted a miniature of the Blessed Thomas More on
the back of a playing card.
EDWARD THE SIXTH
Reigned six years: 1547-1553.
Born, 1537.
THE MEN AND WOMEN
[Illustration: {A man of the time of Edward VI.; a type of hat}]
Here we have a reign which, from its very shortness, can hardly be
expected to yield us much in the way of change, yet it shows, by very
slight movements, that form of growth which preludes the great changes
to come.
I think I may call a halt here, and proceed to tell you why this
volume is commenced with Henry VII., called the Tudor and Stuart
volume, and ends with the Cromwells. It is because, between these
reigns, the tunic achieves maturity, becomes a doublet, and dies,
practically just in the middle of the reign of Charles II. of pungent
memory. The peculiar garment, or rather, this garment peculiar to a
certain time, runs through its various degrees of cut. It is, at
first, a loose body garment with skirts; the skirts become arranged in
precise folds, the folds on the skirt are shortened, the shorter they
become the tighter becomes the coat; then we run through with this
coat in its periods of puffings, slashings, this, that, and the other
sleeve, all coats retaining the small piece of skirt or basque, and so
to the straight, severe Cromwellian jerkin with the piece of skirt cut
into tabs, until the volume ends, and hey presto! there marches into
history a Persian business--a frock coat, straight, trim, quite a near
cousin to our own garment of afternoon ceremony.
For a sign of the times it may be mentioned that a boy threw his cap
at the Host just at the time of the Elevation.
To Queen Elizabeth has been given the palm for the wearing of the
first silk stockings in England, but it is known that Sir Thomas
Gresham gave a pair of silk stockings to Edward VI.
We now see a more general appearance in the streets of the flat cap
upon the heads of citizens. The hood, that eminently practical
head-gear, took long to die, and, when at last it went out of fashion,
except among the labouring classes, there came in the cap that now
remains to us in the cap of the Beefeaters at the Tower of London.
[Illustration: {Two men of the time of Edward VI.}]
It is the time of jerkin or jacket, doublet or coat, and
hose--generally worn with trunks, which were puffed, short
knickerbockers.
The flat cap, afterwards the statute cap as ordered by Elizabeth,
became, as I say, the ordinary head-wear, though some, no doubt, kept
hoods upon their heavy travelling cloaks. This cap, which some of the
Bluecoat Boys still wear, was enforced upon the people by Elizabeth
for the encouragement of the English trade of cappers. 'One cap of
wool, knit, thicked, and dressed in England,' was to be worn by all
over six years of age, except such persons as had 'twenty marks by
year in lands, and their heirs, and such as have borne office of
worship.'
Edward, according to the portraits, always wore a flat cap, the base
of the crown ornamented with bands of jewels.
The Bluecoat Boys, and long may they have the sense to keep to their
dress, show us exactly the ordinary dress of the citizen, except that
the modern knickerbocker has taken the place of the trunks. Also, the
long skirts of these blue coats were, in Edward's time, the mark of
the grave man, others wore these same skirts cut to the knee.
That peculiar fashion of the previous reign--the enormously
broad-shouldered appearance--still held in this reign to some extent,
though the collars of the jerkins, or, as one may more easily know
them, overcoats or jackets, open garments, were not so wide, and
allowed more of the puffed shoulder of the sleeve to show. Indeed, the
collar became quite small, as in the Windsor Holbein painting of
Edward, and the puff in the shoulders not so rotund.
The doublet of this reign shows no change, but the collar of the shirt
begins to show signs of the ruff of later years. It is no larger, but
is generally left untied with the ornamental strings hanging.
Antiquarian research has, as it often does, muddled us as to the
meaning of the word 'partlet.' Fairholt, who is very good in many
ways, puts down in his glossary, 'Partlet: A gorget for women.' Then
he goes on to say that a partlet may be goodness knows what else.
Minshein says they are 'part of a man's attire, as the loose collar of
a doublet, to be set on or taken off by itself, without the bodies, as
the picadillies now a daies, or as mens' bands, or womens'
neckerchiefs, which are in some, or at least have been within memorie,
called partlets.'
Sir F. Madden says: 'The partlet evidently appears to have been the
corset or habit-shirt worn at that period, and which so commonly
occurs in the portraits of the time, generally made of velvet and
ornamented with precious stones.'
[Illustration: A MAN AND WOMAN OF THE TIME OF EDWARD VI. (1547-1553)
The change from the dress of the previous reign should be easily
noticed, especially in the case of the woman. This dress is, of
course, of the plainest in this time.]
Hall, the author of 'Satires,' 1598, speaks of a man, an
effeminate dandy, as wearing a partlet strip. It appears to me, who am
unwillingly forced into judging between so many learned persons, that,
from all I have been able to gather from contemporary records and
papers, the partlet is indeed, as Minshein says, 'the loose collar of
a doublet,' in reality the same thing as a shirt band.
[Illustration: {Two men of the time of Edward VI.}]
Henry VIII. wore a band about his neck, the forerunner of the ruff.
Some of his bands were of silver cloth with ruffs to them, others, as
I have shown, were wonderfully embroidered.
In this case, then, the partlet is head of the family tree to our own
collar, 'to be set on or taken off by itself,' and so by way of ruff,
valued at threescore pound price apiece, to plain bands, to falling
bands, laced neckcloth, stock--to the nine pennyworth of misery we
bolt around our necks.
Dress, on the whole, is much plainer, sleeves are not so full of cuts
and slashes, and they fit more closely to the arm. The materials are
rich, but the ornament is not so lavish; the portrait of Edward by
Gwillim Stretes is a good example of ornament, rich but simple. Shoes
are not cut about at the toe quite with the same splendour, but are
still broad in the toe.
For the women, it may be said that the change towards simplicity is
even more marked. The very elaborate head-dress, the folded,
diamond-shaped French hood has disappeared almost entirely, and, for
the rich, the half hoop, set back from the forehead with a piece of
velvet or silk to hang down the back, will best describe the
head-gear. From that to the centre-pointed hoop shows the trend of the
shape. This latest form of woman's head apparel was born, I think, out
of the folds of the linen cap worn in the house, and this, being
repeated in the velvet night-caps, became the extreme of fashion. The
drawing will show how the square end of the linen cap, falling in the
centre of the circular cap-shape, cut the semicircle and overlapped
it, thus giving the appearance later to become exaggerated into a form
cut especially to that shape. (I try to be as lucid as I can manage,
but the difficulties of describing such evolutions in any but tangled
language I leave the reader to imagine.)
[Illustration: {Two women of the time of Edward VI.; two types of
head-dress}]
The women are also wearing cloth hoods, rather baggy cap-like hoods,
with a hanging-piece behind.
The most notable change is the collar of the gown, which suddenly
springs into existence. It is a high collar and very open in front,
showing a piece of the under-dress. On this collar is sewn--what I
shall call--the woman's partlet, as the embroidery is often detachable
and answers the same purpose as the man's partlet; this later became a
separate article, and was under-propped with wires to hold it out
stiffly.
The same stiff-bodied appearance holds good, but in more simple
dresses the skirts were not quite as voluminous as heretofore.
With overcoats in general the hanging sleeve is being worn, the arm of
the wearer coming out just below the puffed shoulder-piece.
With these remarks we may safely go on to the reign of Mary; another
reign which does not yield us much in the way of clothes.
MARY
Reigned five years: 1553-1558.
Born, 1516. Married, 1554, Philip of Spain.
THE MEN AND WOMEN
I cannot do better than commence this chapter by taking you back to
the evening of August 3, 1553. Mary, with her half-sister Elizabeth,
entered London on this date. At Aldgate she was met by the Mayor of
London, who gave her the City sword. From the Antiquarian Repertory
comes this account:
'First, the citizens' children walked before her
magnificently dressed; after followed gentlemen habited
in velvets of all sorts, some black, others in white,
yellow, violet, and carnation; others wore satins or
taffety, and some damasks of all colours, having plenty
of gold buttons; afterwards followed the Mayor, with the
City Companies, and the chiefs or masters of the several
trades; after them, the Lords, richly habited, and the
most considerable knights; next came the ladies, married
and single, in the midst of whom was the Queen herself,
mounted on a small white ambling nag, the housings of
which were fringed with gold thread; about her were six
lacqueys, habited in vests of gold.
'The Queen herself was dressed in violet velvet, and was
then about forty years of age, and rather fresh
coloured.
'Before her were six lords bareheaded, each carrying in
his hand a yellow mace, and some others bearing the arms
and crown. Behind her followed the archers, as well of
the first as the second guard.
'She was followed by her sister, named Madame Elizabeth,
in truth a beautiful Princess, who was also accompanied
by ladies both married and single.'
In the crowds about the city waiting to stare at the new Queen as she
passed by, one could recognise the various professions by their
colours. The trained bands in white doublets with the City arms before
and behind; lawyers in black; sheriffs and aldermen in furred gowns
with satin sleeves; citizens in brown cloaks and workers in cloth or
leather doublets; citizens' servants in blue liveries; gentlemen's
servants in very gorgeous liveries of their masters' colours. Here is
a description of a gentleman's page and his clothes:
'One doublet of yelow million fustian, th'one halfe
buttoned with peche-colour buttons, and the other half
laced downwards; one payer of peche-colour, laced with
smale tawnye lace; a graye hat with a copper edge rounde
about it, with a band p'cell of the same hatt; a payer
of watchet (blue) stockings. Likewise he hath twoe
clokes, th'one of vessey colour, garded with twoe yards
of black clothe and twisted lace of carnacion colour,
and lyned with crymsone bayes; and th'other is a red
shipp russet colour, striped about th'cape and down the
fore face, twisted with two rows of twisted lace, russet
and gold buttons afore and uppon the shoulder, being of
the clothe itself, set with the said twisted lace and
the buttons of russet silk and gold.'
This will give some notion of the elaborate liveries worn, and also it
will show how, having understood the forms of the garments and the
material which may be used, the rest, ornament and fancy, depend on
the sense of the reader.
A change has come over the streets, the town is full of Spaniards
come over with Philip, and these bring with them many innovations in
dress. The most noticeable is the high-peaked Spanish hat, a velvet
bag with a narrow brim, worn on one side of the head. There is, also,
a hard-crowned hat, round the crown-base of which is a gold cord
clasped by a jewel; a feather is stuck into this hat. Yet the mass of
citizens wear the flat cap, some of them, the older men, have a coif
tied under their chins, and over this the flat cap. Again, older men
wear black velvet skull caps.
[Illustration: {A man of the time of Mary}]
With these Spaniards comes, also, the first appearance of the ruff,
very neat and small.
Although the overcoats of Henry's and Edward's reigns still form the
principal wear, the short Spanish cloak has come in, cut in full
folds, and reaching not far below the waist. They also brought in the
cloak with a turned up high collar; and some had sleeves to their
cloaks.
[Illustration: A MAN OF THE TIME OF MARY (1553-1558)
The half-way between the dress of 1530 and 1560. A cloak very much
of the period, and a tunic in the state of evolution towards the
doublet.]
One sees more beards and moustaches, short clipped beards, and beards
with two points.
Shoes are now more to the shape of the foot, and high boots strapped
up over the knee, also half-boots with the tops turned over to be
seen. Often, where the hose meet the trunks, these are turned down.
[Illustration: {A man of the time of Mary; two types of boot}]
The doublets become shaped more closely to the body, all showing the
gradual change towards the Elizabethan costume, but still retaining
the characteristics of earlier times, as the long skirt to the
doublet, and the opening to show the collar of the shirt, or partlet
strip.
Ladies now show more hair, parted, as before, in the centre, but now
puffed out at the sides.
The new shape of head-dress becomes popular, and the upstanding collar
to the gown is almost universal.