an old lady, which we figure (see Figure 161), came from the village of
Bishopstone in Wiltshire, where no fewer than twelve old ladies, all of
them over eighty, still wear such a head-dress at night. Nightcaps were
worn by men in the time of the Tudors, and that of Queen Elizabeth, as
is shown by the following extract from a bill of 1547: "Pd. for two
nyght caps of vellvet for them, 8s. 0d."[47]
They were very elaborately embroidered at this time, and in Mary's
reign were mentioned in a sumptuary law. Old men still wear nightcaps,
and the one we figure was used until lately at South Stoke in
Oxfordshire. It is of the familiar style that we associate with such a
head-dress, and has a tassel on the top. (See Figure 162.)
[Illustration: FIG. 162.--A man's nightcap, from Oxfordshire.]
In the time of Queen Anne ladies wore their nightdresses, or night-rails
as they were called, in the streets, and the fashion seems to have
been in vogue at later times, though every means were taken to try and
abolish it. It was not until a murderess was persuaded to appear at her
execution in a bedgown that the fad was relinquished.
XXXI
THE DRESS OF ANIMALS
NATURAL REPRESENTATIVES OF CLOTHES--HORSE TRAPPINGS--AMULETS ON
HARNESS--DOGS' DISGUISES--FASHIONS IN THE FORM OF ANIMALS
Here and there in the animal kingdom we find that creatures protect
themselves from injury by building up cases and coverings from
extraneous materials, and these may very well be compared with the
armour and clothes of mankind. Protection may be gained by merely
securing something ready made to take the place of a coat, as is done in
the case of the hermit-crab or "soldier," which covers itself with the
shell of some dead mollusc. The caddis worm, or larva of the caddis
fly, builds its home of sticks and stones or twigs, and thereby not
only preserves its soft body from injury, but also harmonizes with its
surroundings, in the same way as does the soldier on active service in
time of war.
To gain protection, also, some molluscs when building their shells
introduce stones and other shells and corals into the edifice, so that
they become indistinguishable from the sea-bottom on which they lie.
Many caterpillars cover themselves with bits of leaves, and even with
the help of silk make spiral shells that might easily be mistaken for
those of snails. The silk also, from which many of our gay clothes are
made, is spun by the silkworm, which, like the larva of many moths,
produces it in order to protect the chrysalis while it rests.
We are occupied here, however, with the coverings of animals that they
owe to man, and first and foremost of those creatures which have come in
for his polite attentions is the horse.
We may recall the armour by which the chargers of the old knights were
protected, and the trappings or emblazoned coverings that were put over
this in the same way as the surcoat was made to cover the armour of the
knights. (See Figure 84.) The trappings were often made of coloured
satin, and were embroidered with gold and silver, and at the exhibition
held by the Burlington Fine Arts Society in 1905 a chasuble of red
velvet was shown, embroidered with the arms of England in gold, which
was apparently made from a horse-trapper of the fourteenth century.
Figure 84 well shows how the horses carried the armorial bearings of
their masters.
In the ostrich-feather ornaments and the velvet trappings of modern
funeral horses, we still have some remnants of the days of chivalry.
To-day horse clothing, though not intended to be of an ornamental
character, we should imagine, is still often decorated with a monogram
of the horse's owner.
Perhaps one of the most interesting survivals in connection with horses
is to be found in the brasses which decorate those used for carts and
waggons. Dr. Plowright[48] has shown that many of these ornaments, which
are really amulets put on to the harness with a view to protecting the
horses against the evil eye, are of Moorish origin. He contrasts their
style with the ornamental details shown in the Alhambra, and he figures
a number which take the form of a crescent, or a crescent enclosing
an eight-rayed star, and others in which the ornament shows eyes and
eyebrows conventionalized. In other cases we get the fleur-de-lys
treated in an arabesque way, the escallop shell and the mystic
interlaced triangles (which were considered the talisman of talismans,
and are known as the seal of Solomon or the shield of David), with
a crescent in the centre. Miss Lina Eckenstein[49] figures many
other horse brasses which can be compared with those worn by Roman
cart-horses. Among them is the crescent, which was also worn by women
carved in ivory, and by certain senators as ornaments on their shoes.
The crescent is made from a thin plate of metal, and is worn by children
on the west coast of India, with the points upwards, as a protection
against the evil eye, and gold ornaments of similar shape are among
those which were worn in ancient Peru.
The moon, from times of remote antiquity, has been represented by a ring
for the full moon and a half-ring or sickle for the crescent. Miss
Eckenstein does not, however, carry the origin of the horse amulets back
to the stone stage of civilization, but she thinks that the crescent
represents two boars' tusks joined together by a thong, and the
horse-amulet now worn in Italy shows the thinness and sharpness of curve
that would be evident in one which was made out of boars' tusks.
[Illustration: FIG. 163.--An English horse amulet in the form of a
crescent. The flat places near the tips of the horns are evidence that
the form is derived from two boars' tusks.]
We may point out that in some English crescents the hollows which one
tusk makes by wearing against its fellow are represented by little flat
places on the horns of the crescent near their tips. (See Figure 163.)
The brasses seen in England to-day are worn on the face-plate,
breast-plate, and martingale. On grand occasions, such as May Day
celebrations, and the cart-horse parade of Whit Monday, brasses are
specially put on, though there is a tendency now for them to be stamped
out of thin metal instead of being cast, with the result that they soon
wear out. German horses wear the crescent on a strap which dangles below
the right ear.
The English crescent from harness will be found to match those which are
represented on the horses on Trajan's column and other monuments. The
same design is to be seen also on the harness of camels and elephants.
The most important symbol besides the moon is that of the sun, which is
worn on the top of the head between the ears.
Heraldic brasses are not uncommon, and the heart-shaped amulet is also
seen; it is possible, too, that this form may be connected with that
of the flint arrows, which we have already mentioned as being worn as
amulets. In Egypt, an amulet hung on a cow is said to protect the woman
who owns it, and Miss Eckenstein suggests a similar origin in the case
of the heart worn by horses. A brass showing a horse rampant, came from
the estate of the Duke of Norfolk at Arundel, and it will be seen on
looking at the arms of the nobleman in question that this device forms
one of the supporters of his shield.
In prehistoric Egypt the slate palettes on which malachite was ground
for face painting were often in the form of two birds, with their bodies
put back to back, and their heads fully shown, and when this form
degenerates it becomes a kind of heart-shaped shield. Professor Petrie
has pointed out that when this decoration is used, as on coffins and
elsewhere, it is often thought to be merely a shield. Possibly the
heart-shaped amulet may have some connection with this.
[Illustration: FIG. 164.--An English horse amulet showing both the heart
and the sun.]
An amulet found by Professor Vellucci in Umbria consisted of an
arrow-head sewn upon a piece of scarlet cloth, which was of a heart
shape, and was intended doubtless to emphasize the heart significance.
Another horse amulet, obtained by Miss Eckenstein from Sicily, also
consists of a piece of scarlet cloth cut into the shape of a heart and
decorated with tinsel.
An English horse brass seen in Figure 164 shows both the heart and the
sun.
While on the subject of horses, one might allude to the wisps of straw
which are twisted in the mane and tail of cart-horses when they are for
sale at markets and fairs. Horses were sacrificed in the old days; and
as the slaying of domestic animals was supposed to secure fruitfulness,
the horse became identified as a corn spirit, and the killing of horses
formed a necessary incident of the harvest. The deity Demeter took upon
himself the semblance of a mare, and the word mare is applied in the
Midlands to the last uncut ears of corn, at which the sickles are thrown
in order to bring them down. It is possible that the wisps of straw worn
by horses are connected with these ideas.
A very curious and interesting custom is represented on the trappings of
the horses ridden by the officers of the 10th Hussars. These trappings
are ornamented on full-dress occasions with cowry shells; and to find a
parallel to this we have to go to the East, where the head-stalls of the
camels and mules are covered with the shells, while round their necks
and those of donkeys there may hang an ornament or bell on a band which
is similarly decorated. It will be noted that there is a pendant from
the head of the Hussar horse which resembles that of the mule of the
Holy Land. There is no doubt but that originally these ornaments were
really amulets, and it is said that they are a survival of ancient
phallic worship. (See Figures 165-7.)
Cowry shells were once generally used by the Hussars, and were revived
in the case of the 10th Hussars in connection with service in India.
[Illustration: FIG. 165.--The cowry-shell ornaments on the head of an
officer's charger of the 10th Hussars. The pendant recalls that on mules
in Palestine.]
Toby, as we have seen, is decorated with an Elizabethan ruff, but the
wearing of collars and bells by pet animals is a remnant of a very old
custom, and on early mediæval brasses in this country, dogs are often
seen decorated with collars--sometimes bearing their actual names--and
with bells. Now the wearing of a collar is enforced by law as a means
of identification. All dogs found without collars may be considered as
strays, and the regulation followed, as is well known, upon the muzzling
order by which hydrophobia was practically stamped out.
[Illustration: FIG. 166.--Cowry shells on an Eastern mule, hanging like
the pendant of the 10th Hussars.]
[Illustration: FIG. 167.--Cowry shells on the head-stall of a camel from
Palestine.]
Mr. C. J. Cornish[50] once considered the subject of animals' clothes,
and made some interesting remarks on horses' hats and sun-bonnets. He
described the following sight, met with in Kensington Gore: First came
a costermonger with his horse duly "hatted" and the hat trimmed with
ribbon; next came a lady wearing a hat, in a victoria. Her horse also
had a hat, and both hats had pink flowers in them.
In Holland, cows wear rain-proof jackets all the winter, and coats for
show cattle are quite the fashion in England. Mr. Cornish says that a
really smart Jersey cow would not like to be seen at a show without her
luggage--"a chest containing, not only her sleeping jacket, but her
brushes and combs, cosmetics and horn protectors. She puts on, or
has put on, a smarter jacket in the daytime if she has to stand in a
draughty place; if she is not sleeping out it does not so much matter.
There are many ladies who would almost go without a jacket themselves
rather than see their best animals go to a show without proper clothes."
In the North lambs are provided with waterproof coats when going on to
the hills. These garments are called "brats," and the name has been
transferred not only to the young sheep themselves, but also to human
babies. We are all familiar with the clothes which monkeys wear when
they go about with organs, and the big apes which are exhibited at
shows are sometimes even clothed in the dress suit of conventionality.
Johanna, the chimpanzee which was at Barnum's exhibition, looked
very effective in her petticoats, and the penguins at the Zoo, when
performing tricks, wear coats, while animal actors are often dressed to
suit their parts.
There is one case at least in which animals are disguised by dressing
them up. There was a duck-decoy dog which was known to Mr. Cornish,
which, in the first instance, grew as much like a fox as it was possible
for a dog to be. This proved exceedingly attractive to the ducks, which
seem to have an irresistible impulse to swim after a fox in order to
see what he is about. In a short time, however, they get used to a
particular dog, and their curiosity dies away. Then the dog's master
supplies him with a disguise in the shape of a jacket made of sheepskin.
Furthermore, when this palls a rough woollen jacket of a black colour is
brought into requisition, and the dog apparently knows the meaning of
the whole performance. In other cases the disguise of a decoy dog takes
the shape of a foxskin with its brush.
Racing dogs, prize dogs, and pet dogs also have their coats, and we have
heard even of bracelets for poodles, while there are fashions which
regulate the way in which the hair of these dogs should be cut. Just as
men and women deform themselves, so they mutilate their animals by the
clipping of their ears and the shortening of their tails--practices
which are worse than the dubbing of the birds' combs in the old days
of cock-fighting, for the infliction of one slight injury probably
prevented many.
This deforming of animals is a savage custom, for Hottentots twist the
horns of their cattle and sheep, while a number of horns are produced in
Africa by splitting the budding horns of the young animals. Though not
obviously causing any deformity, there is one fashion which, though
condemned by most people, is still followed by otherwise cultured and
humane people. We refer to the bearing-rein with which horses' heads are
kept in unnatural, uncomfortable, and constrained positions.
If, however, we consider animal fashions as a whole, and bring under
discussion the colours and peculiarities of the fur or feathers that
cover their bodies, we shall find that men from quite early times have
amused themselves with producing all manner of curious and striking
appearances. The fact is, that the ordinary conditions and dangers
of life in the open, which would soon eliminate any creatures out of
harmony with their surroundings, do not act in the case of domesticated
animals very much; and this has been a help. We have, therefore, white
rats, piebald mice, gold fishes--some even with several tails--yellow
canaries, frizzled bantams, hairless dogs, hornless cattle, booted
bantams, and top-knotted fowls, as well as hosts of patterns and forms
that are hardly to be numbered. There is an adage that "like produces
like," but the student of heredity has recently become aware of the fact
that animals of a certain colour may not always produce offspring
which resemble them in this respect; but that in order to get the tint
required for show purposes, parents of some particular but unfashionable
colour should be chosen.
The colour of animals is taken into consideration in connection with
ceremonies. White elephants have to be treated as if they were gods,
and proverbially cost much to keep. Black horses are usually used at
funerals; white or grey horses, which are much decorated with the badges
and insignia of the regiments, carry the kettledrums of the cavalry. The
Scots Greys take their name from their horses, which are all grey, like
those with which, it is said, they were supplied by William III in
Flanders. Spotted Dalmatian hounds are those which are chosen to run
by the side of carriages, while circus horses exhibit much variety of
colouring.
Whips are perhaps a little beside the subject, though there are fashions
with regard to them. Not long ago it was customary for the whip stick in
connection with a smart turn-out to have a bend in it. In various parts
of the East the camel driver carries in a graceful manner a red forked
stick, and one of this form was used as a sceptre in ancient Egypt from
5000 B.C. downwards, so that we meet with a very interesting, if humble,
survival of what was once a royal ornament.
XXXII
COLOUR
IMPORTANCE OF COLOUR--INSTINCTIVE LOVE OF BRIGHT
HUES--DESIRABILITY OF COLOURED CLOTHES AND GAY SCENES--COLOUR
AND COMPLEXION
It has been apparent throughout this book, as it is in everyday life,
that colour plays a tremendous part. Not only has it often a great
significance, but its presence or absence must also have a considerable
effect upon the minds of the people at large. One cannot help thinking
that if women were to dress as a whole in the same quiet, or let us say
solemn, tints which are characteristic of men in their everyday life,
how much we should lose. Yet that there is a craving for bright colours
is shown in every direction, and that they are attractive to those who
do not themselves have an opportunity of wearing them is also obvious.
The High Church clergy in this country make use of the coloured
vestments that had developed in the Roman Catholic Church previous to
the Reformation, and which have been proclaimed illegal.
The new universities vie with the older seats of learning in the colours
which they choose for gowns and hoods. It is merely a question of
expense which prevents the fancy-dress dance from being more common
than it is. The pageants which have been held in various parts of this
country, and the profits which have been made in many cases, bear out
what we have said. Men, as shown by the red coats which they don for
hunting and golfing, the colours in which they ride steeplechases or
play hockey, or the dresses in which they bathe, seek as far as possible
during their leisure hour pursuits to go back to bright array.
Plays also are popular which are cast in the times when picturesque
attire flourished or which borrow it from Oriental countries. The
significance of colour is exceedingly far reaching. The ordinary
liveries of Royalty in this country are red; the red shirt of the
followers of Garibaldi, the red cap of Liberty in the French Revolution,
the red rose of Lancaster, call to mind great struggles. The platelayer,
it is said, is instructed to wear a red tie so that on emergency it may
be used as a danger signal. A red ribbon worn in the hair of a girl in
some places on the Continent shows that she is engaged to be married,
and it is with a red rag that the chulos in the bull fight enrage the
bull. The term "born in the purple" alludes to this colour having been
that adopted by emperors and kings in the past. Yellow is a favourite
colour with gipsies; the women wear yellow kerchiefs and yellow beads,
while the men favour yellow neckties. Mr. Yoxall[51] points out that
this colour was worn by mediæval Jews, and had a contemptuous or
degrading significance. We have seen that yellow has been chosen as a
mourning colour in Oriental countries, and possibly it was adopted on
some particular occasion by gipsies like the black worms that we have
mentioned in the lace of military uniforms, and has never been entirely
left off since.
Among savages, yellow comes next in popularity to red, and it is said
that young children are also fond of red, but are inclined to prefer
yellow. The latter colour is not so stimulating as red, and this is well
shown by the fact that the red light used in photographic works was
found to cause so much mental irritation on the part of the workers that
it has been abandoned in many cases in favour of orange. As regards the
preference of older persons, it has been found that schoolgirls are more
precocious than boys in the discrimination of colours, and never prefer
orange to any other colour, yet they choose yellow rather than green,
and usually than violet, but never prefer it to red or blue.
As age goes on, male students shift their liking towards the violet end
of the spectrum which is the favourite one with men, while women keep
to the red. Blue is associated in this country with the boat race held
between representatives of the two old Universities of Oxford and
Cambridge, and blue is usually taken to represent the Liberal side in
political elections. The blue blouse of the butcher is characteristic,
and, as we have found, is a still better instance of the survival of a
trade costume than that seen in the case of servants. The colour, it is
said, was chosen, as blood stains are not so noticeable upon it as upon
other tints. A black habit is that which the clergy adopt when not
engaged in religious duties, while white has for centuries been used by
them when conducting services. The same two colours, if we can so call
them, are to be found in mourning, and to them a man is now restricted
when he appears in ordinary Court or evening dress. The use of colour
merely as a distinguishing mark without any deeper origin or special
significance is so general that we shall touch upon it, and recall one
or two instances with which we have previously met.
The gorgeous dresses of the Masons and the bright green scarfs of their
humbler brethren, the Foresters, are further evidences of the love which
civilized man still retains of dressing himself up. It is only but
little less strongly developed apparently in him than it is in his
children and in savage people.
We pointed out that red, although a special character of the British
Army, is very far from being the universal colour of the uniform. We
have had to deal with blue, buff, white, and black among the other
colours that are to be seen adorning the bodies of our soldiers. The
colours of heraldry no longer appear on our persons, except when we wear
favours such as ribbons of red, white, and blue that come from national
flags, and here we may recall that the standards of our regiments are
called their "colours," and illustrate not only regimental but national
history. The part that colour plays in the hoods and gowns of academical
dress has on more than one occasion occupied our attention. Various
coloured veils serve to differentiate the sisters of a religious order,
while the ribbons and mantles of the knightly orders serve a similar
purpose. It seems a great pity that at the present day the chapters or
meetings of these Orders are seldom if ever held, and it would surely be
interesting and useful, as well as enlivening, for certain occasions to
be created on which the public might have an opportunity of seeing more
of the dresses which have been handed down to our own times.
It is true that the King has of recent years opened Parliament in
person, and glimpses may have been had of him in his state robes by a
privileged few, but surely some opportunity should be found of having
more pageants which are real and where there is no need for any
make-believe. Besides having the advantages which we have urged would
accrue from the bringing of a little more colour into our lives, such
meetings would also have a practical result, and be exceedingly good for
trade.
It is obvious that certain costumes, particularly the gay peasant
dresses of the Continent, suit the style, complexion, and colouring of
those who wear them. In races like our own, where we have all kinds of
stages between the very fair blonde and the very dark brunette, the
question of the choice of colours from an artistic point of view is
important. There is also the question of surroundings to be considered,
though nowadays it is not every one who can afford the time, as the late
Mrs. Haweis did, to visit the rooms in which she was invited to spend
an evening, so that the colours of her costume might be arranged to
harmonize with her temporary surroundings.
XXXIII
PATTERNS
ANCIENT DESIGNS--CHECKS AND TARTANS--PARTI-COLOURED CLOTHES--EVOLUTION
OF ORNAMENTATION