OF SOME FOREIGN PEASANTS (_continued_)
In Russia the convention of dress may not serve as an index to the mind
of the country, for the peasant is allowed to share with the prince a
fancy for gold, coloured embroidery, and silk and jewels, and it has not
yet become necessary for the Duma to include an advocate in the cause of
costume.
The history of Russia is inscribed upon the dress of its people.
Travelling from north to south and from east to west, the costumes of
the peasantry everywhere bear the impress of the political vicissitudes
through which the particular locality has passed. This, coupled with the
fact that no empire in the world is made up of such an agglomeration of
vastly different races, accounts for the immense diversity of styles.
To gain some idea of the ingredients which go to make up the sartorial
_pot-pourri_, one has but to pay a visit to the great annual fair
at Nijni Novgorod. There Cossack rubs shoulders with Finn, Jew with
Laplander, Tartar with Slav, Persian, Siberian, Bulgarian, and Circassian
adding to the interest of the scene and the Babel of tongues. As
everything Russian leads up to the one forbidden, and therefore burning,
question, politics, it is impossible even to treat of the national
costume without touching lightly upon those crises which determined the
ultimate cut of a sleeve or the shape of a head-dress.
Long ago Byzantium imposed its religion and its fashions upon its
great northern neighbour. Both were readily adopted by Russia, and a
significant side-light is thrown upon the national character by the fact
that when, in the thirteenth century, the Mongolian invasion reversed
the political situation, the vanquished adopted the dress of their
conquerors, but not their faith. This is strictly true of all but the
sovereigns, whose costume remained more or less faithful to tradition,
and never entirely departed from the Byzantium original.
Although Byzantium dictated the fashions of the classes, the masses were
unaffected thereby, and the costumes of the serfs trace their source to
Slav and Tartar, according to the district.
The first things to impress the foreigner are the gorgeous nature of the
fête dresses worn by the women, and the lavish use of gold trimming. This
love of gold, as applied to decorative purposes, would appear inherent
in the Russian character, revealing itself in the heavy gilding on the
icons and the many glittering domes of Moscow and St. Petersburg. More
suggestive of a fairy princess than of a peasant is the gala toilet of
the female population of Tver. Contrived from thick silk shot with gold,
the wide round skirt is pleated behind, the opening down the front and
the hem bordered with gold, while the white chemisette vaunts puffed
elbow-sleeves finished with frills, three rows of pearls encircling the
collarless neck. In summer time the little sarafan, or, for want of a
better term, jacket, is made without sleeves and resembles a short full
petticoat that sticks out, as though stiffened, at the bottom. It, too,
is of brightly coloured silk, and descends from the armpits to below the
hips, being supported by gold shoulder-straps, an edging of gold galon
running round the bottom and up the fronts. The head-dress consists of a
species of gilt diadem set with artificial gems in coloured glass. This
encircles the base of an erection of stiffened calico, reminiscent in
shape of the glass shades designed to protect those floral atrocities in
Berlin-wool and wax that were so dear to the heart of the early Victorian
housewife. Concealing the structure is a voluminous veil of white silk or
gauze, striped or strewn with flowers, and invariably bordered with gold.
The duty of gloves is performed by casings of velvet and sable, which
cover the back of the hand and enclose the finger-tips, while leaving the
palm and thumb free.
Still more beautiful and sumptuous is the fête dress of the women of
Torjok. They wear a singular head-dress known as _kokoschink_, which,
literally translated, signifies the crest of a hen, the why and wherefore
of the name being a riddle beyond the power of the average intelligence
to solve. Modelled on the lines of a reversed funnel, the tall slender
crown of the _kokoschink_ is white, encircled by narrow bands of gold,
and surmounted in the case of married women by a metal ornament which
may be triangular, oval, round, or crescent-shaped. The only rule from
which no departure may be made is that the crown be absolutely vertical,
whereas the crown common to the spinster of the community slants abruptly
towards the front. All without exception display a brim composed of an
outstanding frill of white lace encrusted with seed pearls, and an
enormous veil of white gauze embroidered and edged with gold, which is
attached to the top of the _kokoschink_ and floats over the shoulders,
the two points dipping to touch the ground at either side.
These veils are not, as might easily be supposed, of Mohammedan origin,
nor are they even remotely associated with romance. As a matter of fact,
nothing could well be more prosaic than their history, for they were
first adopted as a protection against the plague of flies with which the
district is infested in warm weather.
Pre-eminently picturesque, the costume they shroud reveals a skirt of
such generous proportions as to recall memories of the crinoline. This is
of silk, and buttons down the front, and it is not only edged with gold,
but bears an all-over pattern traced in gold galon. The loose sleeveless
jacket terminates below the waist, where it stands out stiffly, and is
of similar texture, treated in equally lavish style with gold, the huge
leg-o'-mutton sleeves belonging to the white chemisette being richly
embroidered in gold thread. The throat is hidden by an unyielding cravat
of white taffetas ruled with fine gold cord, the short ends crossed under
the chin; and the shoes are of morocco or velvet, with a design worked in
gold threads.
In winter the veil is abandoned in favour of a shawl of white taffetas
fringed with gold, worn over a modified version of the summer
_kokoschink_, in pale blue silk, embroidered with seed pearls and gold.
The all-enveloping greatcoat is of cloth or velvet, edged with fur, and
lapped well over on the right side, where it fastens near the shoulder
only. A feature of the wrap is the sleeve, which is narrow and of
abnormal length, terminating below the knees in a fur cuff, no hint
being allowed to transpire of the hands thus jealously guarded from the
unwelcome attentions of frost.
The peasant woman of Riazan wears black shoes, white stockings rucked at
the ankles, a shortish skirt of bright blue cotton, and a fringed apron
worked in a variety of colours, notably yellow and scarlet. The chief
garment is the ponka, a loose round coat to the knees, very like that
of a Chinaman, fashioned from white linen edged with a narrow border of
red, the wide elbow-sleeves terminating in an inch-deep band of the same.
Open in front, the jacket allows a liberal view of a red blouse, worked
in a characteristic cross-stitch design in brilliant shades, the long
"bishop" sleeves being of plain Turkey-red, finished with shallow frills
hemmed with blue in a tone corresponding to that of the skirt. Almost
impossible to describe in words, the _kitschka_, or local head-dress,
can best be pictured as a miniature version of the bonnet characteristic
of the Salvation Army lass. Composed of red velvet, it is neatly draped
with a silk kerchief the shade of the feathers on a pigeon's breast. From
the back dangle two unequal ends, one on top of the other, white edged
with red, the extremities consisting of stiffened squares of scarlet
passementerie, trimmed at the bottom with shallow red fringe.
In striking contrast to the types already mentioned, the costume of a
Tartar woman bears evidence of her Oriental descent, the memory of which
she strives still further to perpetuate by staining her nails with henna
and blackening her eyebrows and hair. She betrays a decided predilection
for striped silken textures, which she occasionally varies in favour
of a large all-over pattern. Her ordinary toilet is composed of baggy
trousers concealed beneath a long flowing robe of red and white figured
silk, surmounted by a second shapeless garment to the knees in the
nature of a coat. The last is evolved from striped pink and white silk,
and fastens near the right shoulder with three small metal buttons set
closely together, while through the loosely flapping fronts protrudes
the fringed end of a sumptuously embroidered sash. Covering the head and
shoulders is a sweeping veil of white silk, pin striped with green, that
falls to the ground and envelops the figure after the fashion of a cloak,
slits being provided for the hands to pass through; and although the
Tartars are Mohammedans by religion, the face is left bare.
Although palpably designed for use rather than ornament, the dress of the
women of Kherson is far from being wholly unattractive. A white kerchief,
drawn over the head, falls in points on the shoulders, concealing the
hair, but leaving the ears exposed to show dangling ear-rings. The
chemisette of thick white cotton introduces a touch of colour at the
wrists of the wide sleeves, and the loose sleeveless bodice reveals a
heart-shaped opening in front, and is confined by a striped scarf wound
about the waist and held by a leather belt fastened with an imposing
silver clasp. The narrow fringed apron is of carpet material over a plain
skirt cut short above the ankles to reveal a gaily-embroidered petticoat.
The ceremonial costume of the women of Simbirsk is very peculiar. High
and square, the hat is of velvet, with a close brim composed of a broad
hand of white sheep's wool drawn down over the brows, giving the wearer
a slightly lowering expression. A shower of gilt coins jangles in the
ears, and the long-sleeved white tunic fits tightly up to the throat
and ceases abruptly at the knees, where it is met by leggings of white
felt cross-gartered the entire distance, the garters doing double duty,
as they serve as supports for the low shoes. The most extraordinary
and characteristic feature of the entire toilet is a large square
breast-plate of white metal covered with pieces of money and copper
discs, which combine the roles of amulets and ornaments. This odd and
warrior-like decoration is divided across the centre, and so forms two
separate portions, the upper being so arranged that it laps over the
under, when rendered necessary by the movements of the body. In addition,
a small silver cross is worn suspended from a ribbon passed round the
neck.
Specially interesting by reason of the fact that Nijni Novgorod is the
scene of the most important fair in the world, the dress of the women of
the district consists of a fringed and embroidered shawl which envelops
the head and shoulders and is pinned under the chin. As is only to be
expected, fur plays a part in the trimming. The wide jacket reaches to
the waist, and reveals fur cuffs and an edging of fur about the bottom
and up the fronts. Not quite ankle length, the brocade skirt is bordered
with fringe, the plain or brocaded under-skirt descending to the ground.
Both skirts are immensely wide, and suggest the presence of a hooped
petticoat. The shawl and outer jacket removed, there are attractive
revelations of a sleeveless corsage of brocade and a white chemisette
conspicuous for sleeves that puff with exaggeration at the shoulder and
again below the elbow, finally coming in tightly at the wrist and ending
in frills. The jewellery, as is usual in Russia, is of a ponderous type,
and is most popular in the form of chains, necklaces, and finger-and
ear-rings.
The women of the people still plaster their faces crudely with white and
red cosmetics: a mode once in favour with the upper classes, but now
condemned as distinctly bad form and savouring of barbarity.
I cannot leave Russia without some reference to the Jews, who write now
as ever an important chapter in their history.
No Jew can justly be counted a peasant, since no member of the race is
allowed to be a land-owner, his utmost privilege permitting him to be a
tenant farmer. The distinctive garment remains what it has been through
many centuries--the gaberdine; but some concession is made to modern
opinion by the black peaked cap, which, in place of the old skull-cap, is
worn in the streets by the less prejudiced.
The gaberdine buttons down the front to the waist, hangs to the ankles,
and is usually now made of black cloth, silk, or moiré, held at the waist
by a folded belt. It is finished at the neck by a soft turn-down collar
attached to an under-shirt, and it conceals from view loose trousers
and high boots; in winter it is lined with fur. The chin is unshaven,
and a pendent curl hangs from either temple; and reverence for the old
traditions upholds the custom that on the Fast or Atonement day of the
Jews, the patriarch of the family shall attend the synagogue in his
shroud, and that the praying-shawl or _taleth_ of white, with a border of
blue, be worn every day at devotions.
The Jewish women of the poorer class wear a white kerchief over the head,
crossed on the bust of a black sateen jacket, which buttons on the slant
and reaches below the hips. The short skirt beneath is of a vivid tone of
red, covered by a white apron, and the most vital difference between the
Jew and the other races in Russia is the significant absence of the cross.
The working dress of the Jew consists of a pair of baggy trousers
disappearing into top-boots, and a white shirt drawn into the waist
by a leather belt, surmounted by a round cloth cap, for no religious
Jew ever uncovers his head. The hair would seem to have some special
importance, for no Jewish woman who marries is allowed to retain her
tresses; they are cropped or shaved close to the head, which is covered
by a black satin cap, down the centre of which a white thread is sewn in
imitation of a parting. This sacrifice is demanded of all who would enjoy
matrimony; and the great question as to whether the cause is worthy has
not yet been aired in any halfpenny daily issued at St. Petersburg.
Chancing upon a book of costume, which included details of the dress worn
by a tribe known as the Wotiaks, who inhabit a small village in Siberia,
I learned that the women wear a peculiar costume consisting of a shift of
coarse linen, slit in front like a man's shirt, and hemmed up at either
side with worsted of different colours. The gown, which is woollen,
somewhat in the shape of the habit of the Jesuits in college, reaches to
the knees, and is fastened by a girdle. The head-dress is very remarkable
and intricate, including much wrapping of a towel, over which is placed
a helmet made of the bark of a tree, ornamented by a piece of cloth and
copecs, and covered with a handkerchief wrought with worsted of different
colours and edged with a fringe.
The Mordvine women, if married, have the privilege of wearing a high cap
worked in coloured threads, with flaps hanging down at the back, adorned
with chains and pendent fringes. The linen petticoats and aprons show
much embroidery of red and blue and many fringes, and tassels and beads
hang down behind.
Linen and ribbons, embroidery and coloured worsted, are the common
features of dresses in all the villages, and the plait of hair, with
strings of coral and ribbon, afford the young girl some opportunity for
coquetry; and at Kirguise there is a head-dress specially worthy of note.
Three or four yards of material are placed on the head, with the ends
hanging on either side of the face, and over this is bound another stuff
to form a turban, the hair being plaited in two and brought up over the
head to fall down again over the ears.
In Cracow the open shirt is decked with collar and wristbands tied with
ribbons, and over this is a tunic reaching to the knee, fastened in
front, and held by a girdle ornamented with copper studs. The cap of
cloth bordered with fur is common in this district as in many others.
The dress of the Saxon peasants near Dresden bears a suggestion of joy in
its multi-coloured details. They wear dark petticoats with white jackets
and aprons; and round the neck a scarlet handkerchief, the ends of which
appear under the jacket, and a huge frill tied with a large blue bow
in front and a large crimson one at the back. The hair is quite hidden
by a closely-fitting cap of crimson with a white border, or a coloured
handkerchief is pinned tightly round the head, and big bows are placed at
the back.
The men in the Tyrol wear short coats, bordered and lined with a bright
colour, and they show their polychromatic prejudices further in their
vests of green, yellow, or scarlet, striped with black and white. Their
short trousers reach to their bare knees, and are ornamented with designs
in white thread, and their green felt hats are conical in shape, with
narrow brims, flaunting a bunch of coloured ribbons on one side.
The dress worn by the women is very pretty, displaying a yellow or red
stomacher and dark bodice, worn over nine or ten full short petticoats
in different colours. The aprons have coloured borders, and a black
handkerchief is crossed over the bosom under the stomacher, fur being
permitted to trim the sleeves when long; but with the short sleeve
the white frill puts in an appearance at the elbow, and black mittens
embroidered in colours cover the hands and arms.
Huge caps with plaited crowns, with a feather or bunch of flowers,
constitute the ordinary head-dress; and the hair is turned back from the
face, braided at the back, and kept in place by very long gold pins. The
stockings have quaint limitations, reaching only from knee to ankle, and
the shoes are of black leather.
Quaintness is the distinguishing feature of the Dutch peasant, men and
women,--the latter in their full and very short petticoats, laced bodice
and long tight sleeves, the hair bound and knotted with ribbons; the
former in their closely-fitting coats with monster pockets, very wide
breeches, and long waistcoats.
"I don't like them buttons," a millionaire model once said to his
portrait painter; and a criticism of this kind would come with a
touch of authority from the rich Guelderland peasant, whose costume
is all buttons. Coat, waistcoat, waistband, trousers, and shoes are
all decorated with gold and silver buttons, while at the throat is a
silver clasp, and the women have gold ornaments on their dress and in
their hair, and golden trinkets hang about them everywhere with more
recklessness than reason.
The peasants of French Flanders wear short full petticoats, and a jacket
laced up the front, gold ear-rings and a golden cross being conspicuous
features of their costume, which includes a black bib and a cap with a
pleated border. A short coat of black and a veil of three or four yards
of stuff are added for "walking out."
The Westphalian peasant appears to have an odd taste in headgear,
judging from the picture on page 142, and the black bow which extends
beyond either ear must be stiffened with whalebone to induce it to such
a rectitude of conduct. The small linen turban is held by a piece of
black ribbon, beneath which appears a band of white lawn. Black lends
a picturesque touch to the front of the low bodice, which is outlined
by a handkerchief of white lawn held in front by two elaborate designs
of embroidery; embroidery of green and black and red putting in its
appearance round the hem of the plain serge skirt.
[Illustration: A WESTPHALIAN PEASANT.]
The comfortable advantage of reindeer skin was appreciated by the
Norwegian peasants in their dress of olden times, and cloaks of this
were generally worn until the city of Bergen was built by King Oluf in
the eleventh century, and the coming of foreign merchants introduced a
variety of new fashions. According to Norwegian chroniclers, the natives
took greedily to fine laced hose, golden plates buckled round their legs,
high-heeled shoes stitched with silk and covered with tissue of gold,
jackets that buttoned on the side, with sleeves ten feet long, pleated up
to the shoulders.
The long reindeer-skin garment did not, however, disappear entirely,
until the rule of short clothes and bare legs was inaugurated by King
Magnus Olufsen.
The varieties of fashion do not seem to affect the peasants now; they
note with indifference the changes of costume, and cling mainly to the
dress which has descended through many generations. Their breeches and
stockings are cut in one; their waistcoats are of woollen material
with the seams covered with cloth of different colour; on their heads
they wear brown, grey, or black caps, or broadly brimmed hats; while
their heel-less shoes are made of two pieces of leather, and the laced
half-boots used in winter are covered with sealskin.
The Swedish peasants are devoted to long coats of cloth lined with
sheepskin, and the women choose their woollen gowns striped with green
and white and red.
The Norwegian fête dress consists of a laced jacket and leather girdle
set with silver, and indispensable are many rows of chain holding a gilt
or silver pendant. The kerchief and cap are covered with silver, tin,
and brass plates, buttons and rings being used _ad libitum_, and very
fine linen is amongst the luxuries.
Almost every parish in Norway has its own colour, a scheme which might
considerably assist the police and municipal authorities in the sordid
byways of crime, or the roseate paths of romance.
[Illustration: HUNGARIAN PEASANT IN SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.]
The Hungarian peasant women may be noted in passing for their yellow
leather boots and low iron heels, and they study the serviceable and the
beautiful in their many coloured bodices and petticoats, and white apron
and long plaits. The Hungarian peasant woman illustrated shows the effect
of white linen for the head, with the dress of canvas embroidered in red
and blue and violet.
The fête dress of the Morlacchi woman is a gorgeous affair, with a
chemisette embroidered in gold and red, and the blue petticoat upheld
by a woollen girdle trimmed with shells. The stockings are red, and
the shoes of undressed leather. The unmarried women wear strange head
ornaments, including a scarlet cap with a pendent veil, and such
decorations as silver coins, glass beads, feathers, shells, artificial
flowers, and glass plumes, all of which elegancies are dispensed with at
the altar, for the matron enwraps her head with a handkerchief and allows
her hair to fall simply over her shoulders. The virgin conceals her hair
with a cap, and twists beads and coins amongst her locks in approved
Tartar fashion. The married woman is allowed the ease of the Turkish
slipper, and all alike wear strings of beads round the neck, and as many
brass and tin rings as they can obtain; and bracelets of leather covered
with wrought silver or tin, and embroidered stomachers adorned with beads
and shells express the last word of "smartness."
The Finland peasant woman seems to be the only one with a nice
appreciation of brown. She chooses this for her bodice, with a short
skirt of black, and her sleeves are loose and decked with blue and red,
and round her neck are five rows of large beads, while her pendent
ornaments are of beads, and her quaint little apron of blue is striped
with blue and black and a design in yellow and red beads. The white
kerchief covers the head and forehead, falling on to her shoulders, and
round her waist is fastened a belt striped with red and fringed.
But gather your peasant costume where you may, whether in the North
or the West of Europe, you will find its most prominent details the
contrasting colour of the bodice, the blue and red embroidery, the
silver and gold ornaments, and the linen and canvas fabrics. The kerchief
and the cap are the distinguishing features, and the shape and fashion of
the jewellery are inspired as often as not by the prevailing religious
rites and the superstitious beliefs of the district.
[Illustration: IN CHINA OF OLD.]