,transcriber's ,notes3    ,for the text 
version1 the capitalization on the title
 page was   adjusted to attempt to      
preserve relative importance of the text
 on   the page4 ,chapter descriptions in
 the ,table of ,contents were changed   
from all caps to ,title ,case4 ,small   
caps elsewhere were converted to   all  
caps4 ,gesperrt 7spaced out lettering71 
used in various places in   the front   
matter1 and for chapter numbers1 was not
 retained4    ,words in italics are     
surrounded by underscores4              
,punctuation varies widely and was kept 
as printed2 most other   inconsistencies
 were kept as printed4 ,inconsistencies 
in spelling   retained1 along with the  
few corrections made1 are listed at the 
end   of this text4    ,the original    
plates do not have captions4 ,to make it
 easier for the   reader to check the   
text against the description of the     
figures1 the   contents of each ,list of
 ,illustrations entry has been copied   
into   the illustration tag for the     

corresponding plate4 ,except for the    
frontispiece 7,pl4 #a71 the captions for
 the plates have been moved   from the  
original mid-paragraph placement to     
between paragraphs4       ,illustration3
 ,pl4 #a4      ,figure #a4 ,head-dress  
of ,lady ,ardene4            #b4 ,a kind
 of hat4            #c4 ,steeple        
head-dress4         #d1 #f4             
,head-dresses of ,lady ,rolestone4      
#e4 ,heart-shaped head-dresses4         
#g1 #h4 ,head-dresses of the time of    
,henry ,,viii4        #i1 #aa4 ,hats of 
the time of ,george ,,ii4           #aj4
 ,nithsdale hood4           #ab4 ,hat of
 the time of ,william ,,iii4       #ac1 
#ad4 ,hats of the time of ,charles ,i4  
#ae1 #af1 #ag4 ,head-dresses of #agih4  
#ah4 ,head-dress of #agjj4              
#ai4 ,head-dress of the time of ,henry  
,,vi4           #bj4 ,combination of    
figs4 #g1 #h4       #ba1 #bb4 ,hats for 
ladies in #aghf4           #bc4 ,style  
of #aghe4   #bd1 #be1 #bf4 ,style of    
#aghb4          ,,dress   ,,as ,a ,,fine

 ,,art4    ,,with ,,suggestions ,,on    
,,children',s ,,dress4    ,by ,,mrs4    
,,merrifield4     ,with an ,introduction
 on   ,,head ,,dress4    ,by ,prof4     
,fairholt4     ,,boston3   ,,john ,p4   
,,jewett ,,and ,,company4               
,,cleveland1 ,,ohio3   ,,jewett1        
,,proctor1 ,,and ,,worthington4         
#ahed4       ,entered1 according to ,act
 of ,congress1 in the year #ahec1 by    
,,john ,p4 ,,jewett  ,,co41   ,in the   
,clerk's ,office of the ,district ,court
 of the   ,district of ,massachusetts   
,,press ,,of ,,geo4 ,c4 ,,rand1   ,,wood
 ,,cut ,,and ,,book ,,printer1          
,,cornhill1 ,,boston4    ,,stereotyped  
,,at ,,the   ,,boston ,,stereotype      
,,foundry4     ,,preface4   ,the fact   
that we derive our styles of dress from 
the same source as the ,english1 and    
that the work of ,mrs4 ,merrifield has  
been circulated among the forty thousand
 subscribers of the ,london ,art        
,journal1 might perhaps be deemed       
sufficient apology for offering it in   

its present form to the ,american       
public4 ,it has received the unqualified
 approbation of the best publications in
 this country2--entire chapters having  
been copied into the periodicals of the 
day2 this added to the above1 and also  
to the high standing of the author1 has 
induced the publishers to offer it to   
the great reading public of this        
country4  ,the chapter on ,head-dresses1
 which commences the book1 is of much   
interest in itself1 and affords an      
explanation of many of the descriptions 
in the body of the work4  ,the closing  
chapter1 on ,children's ,dress1 by ,mrs4
 ,merrifield1 will be deemed of more    
value by most persons than the cost of  
the entire work4  ,a few verbal         
alterations only have been made in the  
original2--the good sense of every      
reader will enable him to understand the
 local allusions1 and where they belong 
to ,england alone1 to make the          
application4     ,,contents4            
,,page   ,,chapter ,i4   ,description of

 ,head-,dresses1                        
#a    ,,chapter ,,ii4   ,dress1 as a    
,fine ,art1                             
#aj    ,,chapter ,,iii4   ,the ,head1   
#ec    ,,chapter ,,iv4   ,the ,dress1   
#fa    ,,chapter ,v4   ,the ,feet1      
#gc    ,,chapter ,,vi4   ,remarks on    
,particular ,costumes1                  
#hd    ,,chapter ,,vii4                 
,ornament--,economy1                    
#ie    ,,chapter ,,viii4   ,some        
,thoughts on ,children's ,dress4--,by   
,mrs4 ,merrifield1      #aba            
,,illustrations4     ,,plate ,i4        
,figure #a4 ,head-dress of ,lady        
,ardene4                #b4 ,a kind of  
hat4                #c4 ,steeple        
head-dress4             #d1 #f4         
,head-dresses of ,lady ,rolestone4      
#e4 ,heart-shaped head-dresses4         
#g1 #h4 ,head-dresses of the time of    
,henry ,,viii4            #i1 #aa4 ,hats
 of the time of ,george ,,ii4           
#aj4 ,nithsdale hood4               #ab4
 ,hat of the time of ,william ,,iii4    

#ac1 #ad4 ,hats of the time of ,charles 
,i4       #ae1 #af1 #ag4 ,head-dresses  
of #agih4               #ah4 ,head-dress
 of #agjj4               #ai4           
,head-dress of the time of ,henry ,,vi4 
#bj4 ,combination of figs4 #g1 #h4      
#ba1 #bb4 ,hats for ladies in #aghf4    
#bc4 ,style of #aghe4       #bd1 #be1   
#bf4 ,style of #aghb4     ,,plate ,,ii4 
,figure #bg4 ,style of #aghb4           
#bh1 #cj4 ,head-dress of #agij4         
#bi4 ,head-dress of the ,french         
peasantry4               #ca4 ,fashion  
of #agia4           #cb1 #cc4 ,fashion  
of #aghi4               #cf4 ,head-dress
 of the commencement of the present     
century4               #ce4 ,english    
housemaid4               #cg4 ,gigot    
sleeves1 with cloak worn over4          
#ch4 ,from a picture in the ,louvre4    
,,plate ,,iii4         ,figure #ci4     
,dress1 with short waist and sleeves4   
#da4 ,dress of the mother of ,henry     
,,iv4               #dj4 ,dress of      
,henrietta ,maria4               #db4   

,from the ,illustrated ,london ,news4   
,,plate ,,iv4    ,figures #dc1 #dd4     
,from the plates of ,sommaering1 shows  
the waist of the                        
,venus of antiquity4           #de1 #df4
 ,the waist of a modern lady1 from the  
above4               #di4 ,from the     
,london ,news4               #ej4 ,woman
 of ,mitylene4               #ec4       
,algerine woman4               #ed4 ,the
 archon's wife4     ,,plate ,v4         
,figure #dg4 ,athenian peasant4         
#dh4 ,shepherdess of ,arcadia4          
#ea4 ,athenian woman4               #eb4
 ,french costume of the tenth century4  
#fb4 ,lady of the time of ,henry ,v4    
,,plate ,,vi4         ,figure #ee4      
,after ,parmegiano4               #ef4  
,titian's daughter4               #eg4  
,lady ,harrington4               #ei4   
,roman peasant4               #fa4      
,gigot sleeves4     ,,plate ,,vii4      
,figure #fc4 ,from ,bonnard's ,costumes4
               #fd4 ,sancta ,victoria4  
#fe4 ,anne1 ,countess of ,chesterfield1 

from ,vandyck4               #fg4 ,woman
 of ,markinitza4     ,,plate ,,viii4    
,figure #fj4 ,lady ,lucy ,percy1 from   
,vandyck4           #fi1 #gj4 ,by ,jules
 ,david1 in ,le ,moniteur de la ,mode4  
#fh4 ,the hoop1 after ,hogarth4         
,,plate ,,ix4         ,figure #ff4 ,from
 ,rubens's ,descent from the ,cross4    
#ga4 ,from a drawing by ,gainsborough4  
#gb4 ,woman of ,myconia4                
#gd4 ,queen ,anne4     ,,plate ,x4      
,figure #gc4 ,charlotte de la           
,tremouille4               #ge4 ,after  
,gainsborough4               #gf4 ,after
 ,gainsborough4               #gg4      
,costume of ,mrs4 ,bloomer4     ,,plate 
,,xi4         ,figure #gh4 ,from the    
embroidery on fig4 #dg1 pl4 #e4         
#gi4 ,from the sleeve of the same dress1
 above4               #hj4 ,from the    
sleeve of the pelisse4                  
#ha4 ,the pattern embroidered from the  
waist to the skirt                      
of the dress1 fig4 #ea1 pl4 #e4         
#hb4 ,the border of the shawl1 fig4 #ea4

               #hc4 ,sleeve of the same1
 figure #ea4               #hd4 ,design 
on the apron1 fig4 #dh1 pl4 #e4         
#he4 ,from the border of the same dress1
 fig4 #dh4     ,,plate ,,xii4           
,figure #hf4 ,pattern round the hem of  
the long under dress1                   
fig4 #ea1 pl4 #e4           #hg1 #hh4   
,borders of shawls4               #hi4  
,infant's dress1 exhibited at the       
,world's ,fair in                       
,london4           #ij1 #ia4 ,from ,le  
,moniteur de la ,mode1 by ,jules ,david 
and                     ,reville1       
published at ,paris1 ,london1 ,new      
,york1                     and ,st4     
,petersburg4     ,,chapter ,i4          
,,description ,,of ,,head-,,dresses4    
,fig4 #a is a front view of a head-dress
 of ,lady ,arderne1 7who died about the 
middle of the fifteenth century47 ,the  
caul of the head-dress is richly        
embroidered1 the veil above being       
supported by wires1 in the shape of a   
heart1 with double lappets behind the   

head1 which are sometimes transparent1  
as if made of gauze4  ,such gauze veils1
 or rather coverings for the head-dress1
 are frequently seen in the miniatures  
of ,,mss4 ,figs4 #b1 #c1 are here       
selected from the royal ,,ms4 ,in ,fig4 
#c1 the steeple head-dress of the lady  
is entirely covered by a thin veil of   
gauze1 which hangs from its summit1 and 
projects over her face4 ,fig4 #b has a  
sort of hat1 widening from its base1 and
 made of cloth of gold1 richly set with 
stones4 ,such jewelled head-dresses are 
represented on the heads of noble       
ladies1 and are frequently ornamented in
 the most beautiful manner1 with stones 
of various tints4  ,the slab to the     
memory of ,john ,rolestone1 ,esq41      
sometime ,lord of ,swarston1 and        
,sicili1 his wife1 in ,swarkstone       
,church1 ,derbyshire1 who died in #adhb1
 gives the head-dress of the said       
,sicili as represented in ,fig4 #f4 ,it 
is a simple cap1 radiating in gores over
 the head1 having a knob in its centre  

and a close falling veil of cloth       
affixed round the back4 ,it seems to    
have been constructed as much for       
comfort as for show3 the same remark may
 be applied to ,fig4 #d1 which certainly
 cannot be recommended for its beauty1  
being a stunted cone1 with a back veil  
closely fitting about the neck1 and very
 sparingly ornamented2 it was worn by   
,mary1 wife of ,john ,rolestone1 who    
died in #adhe4 ,these may both have been
 plain country ladies1 far removed from 
,london1 and little troubled with its   
fashionable freaks4 ,fig4 #e represents 
the fashionable head-dress of the last  
days of the house of ,york4 ,it has been
 termed the heart-shaped head-dress1    
from the appearance it presents when    
viewed in front1 which resembles that of
 a heart1 and sometimes a crescent4 ,it 
is made of black silk or velvet1        
ornamented with gold studs1 and having a
 jewel over the forehead4 ,it has a long
 band or lappet1 such as the gentlemen  
then wore affixed to their hats4 ,figs4 

#g and #h represent head-dresses worn in
 the time of ,henry ,,viii4 ,these are a
 sort of cap1 which seem to combine     
coverchief and hood4 ,fig4 #g was at    
this time the extreme of fashion4 ,it is
 edged with lace1 and ornamented with   
jewelry1 and has altogether a look of   
utter unmeaningness and confusion of    
form4 ,fig4 #h has a hood easier of     
comprehension1 but no whit better in    
point of elegance than her predecessors2
 it fits the head closely1 having       
pendent jewels round the bottom and     
crossing the brow4 ,figs4 #i and #aa are
 hats of a very simple style1 such as   
were worn during the reign of ,george   
,,ii41 when an affected simplicity1 or  
milk-maiden look1 was coveted by the    
ladies1 both high and low4 ,the hood    
worn by ,fig4 #aj was a complete        
envelope for the head1 and was used in  
riding1 or travelling1 as well as in    
walking in the parks4 ,these were called
 ,nithsdales1 because ,lady ,nithsdale  
covered her husband's face with one of  

them1 after dressing him in her clothes1
 and thus disguised he escaped from the 
,tower4 ,fig4 #ab represents a hat worn 
during the reign of ,william ,,iii4 by a
 damsel who was crying1 ,fair cherries1 
at sixpence a pound6 ,it is of straw1   
with a ribbon tied around it in a simple
 and tasteful manner2 the hat is        
altogether a light and graceful affair1 
and its want of obtrusiveness is perhaps
 its chief recommendation4 ,figs4 #ac   
and #ad are hats such as were worn by   
citizens and their wives during the     
reigns of ,james and ,charles ,i4 ,figs4
 #ae1 #af1 #ag1 were such head-dresses  
as were in vogue in #agih4 ,fig4 #ae was
 of a deep orange color1 with bands of  
dark chocolate brown2 a bunch of scarlet
 tufts came over the forehead1 and it   
was held on the head by a kerchief of   
white muslin tied beneath the chin4     
,fig4 #af is a straw bonnet1 the crown  
decorated with red perpendicular        
stripes1 the front over the face plain1 
and a row of laurel leaves surrounds the

 head2 a lavender-colored tie secures it
 under the chin4 ,bonnets somewhat      
similar to those now worn were          
fashionable two years previous to this2 
yet a small1 low-crowned hat1 like the  
one in ,fig4 #ag1 was as much patronized
 as any head-dress had ever been4       
,cocked hats1 such as is represented in 
,fig4 #ah1 were worn by the gentlemen in
 the last part of the year #agjj4 ,fig4 
#ai represents one of the head-dresses  
worn during the reign of ,henry ,,vi4   
,it is a combination of coverchief and  
turban4 ,fig4 #bj is a combination of   
the head-dress of ,fig4 #g with the     
lappeted hood of ,fig4 #h4 ,in #aghf1 a 
very large-brimmed hat became           
fashionable with the ladies1 and        
continued in vogue for the next two     
years2 an idea of the back view of it is
 given in ,fig4 #ba1 and a front view in
 ,fig4 #bb4 ,it was decorated with      
triple feathers1 and a broad band of    
ribbon was tied in a bow behind1 and    
allowed to stream down the back4 ,the   

elegance of turn which the brim of such 
a hat afforded was completely overdone  
by the enormity of its proportion2 and  
the shelter it gave the face can now be 
considered as the only recommendation of
 this fashion4 ,the hat worn by ,fig4   
#bc was the style of #aghe4 ,feathers   
were then much in favor1 and a poet of  
the time writes of the ladies1--        
,no longer they hunt after ribbons and  
lace2      ,undertakers have got in the 
milliner's place2      ,with hands      
sacrilegious they've plundered the dead1
      ,and transferred the gay plumes   
from the hearse to the head4            
,illustration3 ,pl4 #b4    ,figure #bg4 
,style of #aghb4      #bh1 #cj4         
,head-dress of #agij4          #bi4     
,head-dress of the ,french peasantry4   
#ca4 ,fashion of #agia4      #cb1 #cc4  
,fashion of #aghi4          #cf4        
,head-dress of the commencement of the  
present century4          #ce4 ,english 
housemaid4          #cg4 ,gigot sleeves1
 with cloak worn over4          #ch4    

,from a picture in the ,louvre4         
,fig4 #bd represents the head-dress worn
 in #aghb4 ,at no period in the history 
of the world was any thing more absurd  
in head-dress than the one here         
depicted4 ,the body of this erection was
 formed of tow1 over which the hair was 
turned1 and false hair added in great   
curls2 bobs and ties1 powdered to       
profusion1 then hung all over with      
vulgarly large rows of pearls1 or glass 
beads1 fit only to decorate a           
chandelier2 flowers as obtrusive were   
stuck about this heap of finery1 which  
was surmounted by broad silken bands and
 great ostrich feathers1 until the      
head-dress of a lady added three feet to
 her stature1 and the male sex1 to use  
the words of the ,spectator1 became     
suddenly dwarfed beside her4 ,to effect 
this1 much time and trouble were wasted1
 and great personal annoyance was       
suffered4 ,heads1 when properly dressed1
 kept for three weeks1 as the barbers   
quaintly phrased it2 that they would not

 really keep longer1 may be seen by the 
many receipts they gave for the         
destruction of insects1 which bred in   
the flour and pomatum so liberally      
bestowed upon them4 ,fig4 #be is another
 fashionable outdoor head-dress4 ,fig4  
#bf represents one of the hats invented 
to cover the head when full dressed4 ,it
 is as extravagant as the head-dresses4 
,it is a large but light compound of    
gauze1 wire1 ribbons1 and flowers1      
sloping over the forehead1 and          
sheltering the head entirely by its     
immensity4 ,fig4 #bg shows how immensely
 globular the head of a lady had become2
 it swells all around like a huge       
pumpkin1 and curls of a corresponding   
size aid in the caricature which now    
passed as fashionable taste4 ,as if this
 were not load enough for the fair      
shoulders of the softer sex1 it is      
swathed with a huge veil or scarf1      
giving the wearer an exceedingly        
top-heavy look4 ,in #agij1 the ladies   
appeared in hats similar to those worn  

by the gentlemen in #agib2 these are    
represented in ,figs4 #bh and #cj4 ,they
 were gayly decorated with gold strings1
 and tassels1 crossed and recrossed over
 the crown4 ,the brims were broad1      
raised at the sides1 and pointed over   
the face in a manner not inelegant4     
,fig4 #bi has the tall1 ugly bonnet1    
copied from the ,french peasantry2 a    
long gauze border is attached to the    
edges1 which hangs like a veil around   
the face1 and partially conceals it4 ,a 
hat of a very piquant character was     
adopted by the ladies in #agia1 of which
 a specimen is given in ,fig4 #ca4 ,it  
is decorated with bows1 and a large     
feather nods not ungracefully over the  
crown from behind4 ,a person with good  
face and figure must have looked        
becomingly beneath it4 ,fig4 #cb is an  
example of the bad taste which still    
peeped forth4 ,it is one of the most    
fashionable head-dresses worn in #aghi1 
and is the back view of a lady's head1  
surmounted by a very small cap or hat1  

puffed round with ribbon2 the hair is   
arranged in a long1 straight bunch down 
the neck1 where it is tied by a ribbon1 
and flows in curls beneath2 long curls  
repose one on each shoulder1 while the  
hair at the sides of the head is frizzed
 out on each side in a most fantastic   
form4 ,the hat of ,fig4 #cc1 shaped like
 a chimney pot1 and decorated with small
 tufts of ribbon1 and larger bows1 which
 fitted on a lady's head like the cover 
on a canister1 was viewed with          
marvellous favor by many a fair eye1 in 
the year #aghi4 ,it was sometimes       
bordered with lace1 as in ,fig4 #bi1    
thus hiding the entire head1 and        
considerably enhancing its ugliness4    
,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,dress1 ,,as ,a ,,fine
 ,,art4   ,in a state so highly         
civilized as that in which we live1 the 
art of dress has become extremely       
complicated4 ,that it is an art to set  
off our persons to the greatest         
advantage must be generally admitted1   
and we think it is one which1 under     

certain conditions1 may be studied by   
the most scrupulous4 ,an art implies    
skill and dexterity in setting off or   
employing the gifts of nature to the    
greatest advantage1 and we are surely   
not wrong in laying it down as a general
 principle1 that every one may endeavor 
to set off or improve his or her        
personal appearance1 provided that1 in  
doing so1 the party is guilty of no     
deception4 ,as this proposition may be  
liable to some misconstruction1 we will 
endeavor to explain our meaning4  ,in   
the first place1 the principle is acted 
upon by all who study cleanliness and   
neatness1 which are universally         
considered as positive duties1 that are 
not only conducive to our own comfort1  
but that society has a right to expect  
from us4 ,again3 the rules of society   
require that to a certain extent we     
should adopt those forms of dress which 
are in common use1 but our own judgment 
should be exercised in adapting these   
forms to our individual proportions1    

complexions1 ages1 and stations in      
society4 ,in accomplishing this object1 
the most perfect honesty and sincerity  
of purpose may be observed4 ,no         
deception is to be practised1 no        
artifice employed1 beyond that which is 
exercised by the painter1 who arranges  
his subjects in the most pleasing forms1
 and who selects colors which harmonize 
with each other2 and by the             
manufacturer1 who studies pleasing      
combinations of lines and colors4 ,we   
exercise taste in the decoration and    
arrangement of our apartments and in our
 furniture1 and we are equally at       
liberty to do so with regard to our     
dress2 but we know that taste is not an 
instinctive perception of the beautiful 
and agreeable1 but is founded upon the  
observance of certain laws of nature4   
,when we conform to these laws1 the     
result is pleasing and satisfactory2    
when we offend against them1 the        
contrary effect takes place4 ,our       
persons change with our years2 the child

 passes into youth1 the youth into      
maturity1 maturity changes into old age4
 ,every period of life has its peculiar 
external characteristics1 its pleasures1
 its pains1 and its pursuits4 ,the art  
of dress consists in properly adapting  
our clothing to these changes4  ,we     
violate the laws of nature when we seek 
to repair the ravages of time on our    
complexions by paint1 when we substitute
 false hair for that which age has      
thinned or blanched1 or conceal the     
change by dyeing our own gray hair2 when
 we pad our dress to conceal that one   
shoulder is larger than the other4 ,to  
do either is not only bad taste1 but it 
is a positive breach of sincerity4 ,it  
is bad taste1 because the means we have 
resorted to are contrary to the laws of 
nature4 ,the application of paint to the
 skin produces an effect so different   
from the bloom of youth1 that it can    
only deceive an unpractised eye4 ,it is 
the same with the hair3 there is such a 
want of harmony between false hair and  

the face which it surrounds1 especially 
when that face bears the marks of age1  
and the color of the hair denotes youth1
 that the effect is unpleasing in the   
extreme4 ,deception of this kind1       
therefore1 does not answer the end which
 it had in view2 it deceives nobody but 
the unfortunate perpetrator of the      
would-be deceit4 ,it is about as        
senseless a proceeding as that of the   
goose in the story1 who1 when pursued by
 the fox1 thrust her head into a hedge1 
and thought that1 because she could no  
longer see the fox1 the fox could not   
see her4 ,but in a moral point of view  
it is worse than silly2 it is adopted   
with a view to deceive2 it is acting a  
lie to all intents and purposes1 and it 
ought to be held in the same kind of    
detestation as falsehood with the       
tongue4 ,zimmerman has an aphorism which
 is applicable to this case--,those who 
conceal their age do not conceal their  
folly4  ,the weak and vain1 who hope to 
conceal their age by paint and false    

hair1 are1 however1 morally less        
culpable than another class of          
dissemblers1 inasmuch as the deception  
practised by the first is so palpable   
that it really deceives no one4 ,with   
regard to the other class of            
dissemblers1 we feel some difficulty in 
approaching a subject of so much        
delicacy4 ,yet1 as we have stated that  
we are at liberty to improve our natural
 appearance by well-adapted dress1 we   
think it our duty to speak out1 lest we 
should be considered as in any way      
countenancing deception4 ,we allude to  
those physical defects induced by       
disease1 which are frequently united to 
great beauty of countenance1 and which  
are sometimes so carefully concealed by 
the dress1 that they are only discovered
 after marriage4  ,having thus1 we hope1
 established the innocence of our       
motives1 we shall proceed to mention the
 legitimate means by which the personal 
appearance may be improved by the study 
of the art of dress4  ,fashion in dress 

is usually dictated by caprice or       
accident1 or by the desire of novelty4  
,it is never1 we believe1 based upon the
 study of the figure4  ,it is somewhat  
singular that while every lady thinks   
herself at liberty to wear any textile  
fabric or any color she pleases1 she    
considers herself bound to adopt the    
form and style of dress which the       
fashion of the day has rendered popular4
 ,the despotism of fashion is limited to
 form1 but color is free4 ,we have      
shown1 in another essay1 7see closing   
chapter17 what licentiousness this      
freedom in the adoption and mixture of  
colors too frequently induces4 ,we have 
also shown that the colors worn by      
ladies should be those which contrast or
 harmonize best with their individual   
complexions1 and we have endeavored to  
make the selection of suitable colors   
less difficult by means of a few general
 rules founded upon the laws of harmony 
and contrast of colors4 ,in the present 
essay1 we propose to offer some general 

observations on form in dress4 ,the     
subject is1 however1 both difficult and 
complicated1 and as it is easier to     
condemn than to improve or perfect1 we  
shall more frequently indicate what     
fashions should not be adopted1 than    
recommend others to the patronage of our
 readers4  ,the immediate objects of    
dress are twofold--namely1 decency and  
warmth2 but so many minor considerations
 are suffered to influence us in        
choosing our habiliments1 that these    
primary objects are too frequently kept 
out of sight4 ,dress should be not only 
adapted to the climate1 it should also  
be light in weight1 should yield to the 
movements of the body1 and should be    
easily put on or removed4 ,it should    
also be adapted to the station in       
society1 and to the age1 of the         
individual4 ,these are the essential    
conditions2 yet in practice how         
frequently are they overlooked2 in fact1
 how seldom are they observed6 ,next in 
importance are general elegance of form1

 harmony in the arrangement and         
selection of the colors1 and special    
adaptation in form and color to the     
person of the individual4 ,to these     
objects we purpose directing the        
attention of the reader4  ,it is        
impossible1 within the limits we have   
prescribed ourselves1 to enter into the 
subject of dress minutely2 we can only  
deal with it generally1 and lay down    
certain broad principles for our        
guidance4 ,if these are observed1 there 
is still a wide margin left for fancy   
and fashion4 ,these may find scope in   
trimmings and embroidery2 the           
application of which1 however1 must also
 be regulated by good taste and         
knowledge4 ,the physical variety in the 
human race is infinite2 so are the      
gradations and combinations of color2   
yet we expect a few forms of dress to   
suit every age and complexion6 ,instead 
of the beautiful1 the graceful1 and the 
becoming1 what are the attractions      
offered by the dress makers8 ,what are  

the terms used to invite the notice of  
customers8 ,novelty and distinction4    
,the shops are ,magasins de ,nouveautes1
 the goods are distingues1 recherches1  
nouveaux1 the last fashion4 ,the new    
fashions are exhibited on the elegant   
person of one of the dress maker's      
assistants1 who is selected for this    
purpose1 and are adopted by the         
purchaser without reflecting how much of
 the attraction of the dress is to be   
ascribed to the fine figure of the      
wearer1 how much to the beauty of the   
dress1 or whether it will look equally  
well on herself4 ,so the fashion is set1
 and then it is followed by others1     
until at last it becomes singular not to
 adopt some modification of it1 although
 the extreme may be avoided4 ,the best  
dressers are generally those who follow 
the fashions at a great distance4       
,fashion is the only tyrant against whom
 modern civilization has not carried on 
a crusade1 and its power is still as    
unlimited and despotic as it ever was4  

,from its dictates there is no appeal2  
health and decency are alike offered up 
at the shrine of this ,moloch4 ,at its  
command its votaries melt under fur boas
 in the dog days1 and freeze with bare  
necks and arms1 in lace dresses and     
satin shoes1 in ,january4 ,then1 such is
 its caprice1 that no sooner does a     
fashion become general1 than1 let its   
merits or beauties be ever so great1 it 
is changed for one which perhaps has    
nothing but its novelty to recommend it4
 ,like the bed of ,procrustes1 fashions 
are compelled to suit every one4 ,the   
same fashion is adopted by the tall and 
the short1 the stout and the slender1   
the old and the young1 with what effect 
we have daily opportunities of          
observing4  ,yet1 with all its vagaries1
 fashion is extremely aristocratic in   
its tendencies4 ,every change emanates  
from the highest circles1 who reject it 
when it has descended to the vulgar4 ,no
 new form of dress was ever successful  
which did not originate among the       

aristocracy4 ,from the ladies of the    
court1 the fashions descend through all 
the ranks of society1 until they at last
 die a natural death among the cast-off 
clothes of the housemaid4 ,fig4 #ce4    
,had the ,bloomer costume1 which has    
obtained so much notoriety1 been        
introduced by a tall and graceful scion 
of the aristocracy1 either of rank or   
talent1 instead of being at first       
adopted by the middle ranks1 it might   
have met with better success4 ,we have  
seen that ,jenny ,lind could introduce a
 new fashion of wearing the hair1 and a 
new form of hat or bonnet1 and ,mme4    
,sontag a cap which bears her name4 ,but
 it was against all precedent to admit  
and follow a fashion1 let its merits be 
ever so great1 that emanated from the   
stronghold of democracy4 ,we are content
 to adopt the greatest absurdities in   
dress when they are brought from ,paris1
 or recommended by a ,french name2 but  
,american fashions have no chance of    
success in aristocratic ,england4 ,it is

 beginning at the wrong end4  ,the      
eccentricities of fashion are so great  
that they would appear incredible if we 
had not ocular evidence of their        
prevalence in the portraits which still 
exist4 ,at one period we read of horned 
head-dresses1 which were so large and   
high1 that it is said the doors of the  
palace at ,vincennes were obliged to be 
altered to admit ,isabel of ,bavaria    
7queen of ,charles ,,vi4 of ,france7 and
 the ladies of her suite4 ,in the reign 
of ,edward ,,iv41 the ladies' caps were 
three quarters of an ell in height1 and 
were covered by pieces of lawn hanging  
down to the ground1 or stretched over a 
frame till they resembled the wings of a
 butterfly4#a ,at another time the      
ladies' heads were covered with gold    
nets1 like those worn at the present    
day4 ,then1 again1 the hair1 stiffened  
with powder and pomatum1 and surmounted 
by flowers1 feathers1 and ribbons1 was  
raised on the top of the head like a    
tower4 ,such head-dresses were          

emphatically called tetes4 7,see chapter
 on ,head-,dress47 ,fig4 #cf4 ,but to go
 back no farther than the beginning of  
the present century1 where ,mr4         
,fairholt's interesting work on ,british
 ,costume terminates1 what changes have 
we to record6 ,the first fashion we     
remember was that of scanty clothing1   
when slender figures were so much       
admired1 that many1 to whom nature had  
denied this qualification1 left off the 
under garments necessary for warmth1 and
 fell victims to the colds and          
consumptions induced by their adoption  
of this senseless practice4 ,to these   
succeeded waists so short that the      
girdles were placed almost under the    
arms1 and as the dresses were worn at   
that time indecently low in the neck1   
the body of the dress was almost a myth4
 ,fig4 #ci4    #a ,mr4 ,planche has     
shown1 in his ,history of ,british      
,costume1 that   these head-dresses are 
the prototypes of those still worn by   
the   women of ,normandy4  ,about the   

same time1 the sleeves were so short1   
and the skirts so curtailed in length1  
that there was reason to fear that the  
whole of the drapery might also become a
 myth4 ,a partial reaction then took    
place1 and the skirts were lengthened   
without increasing the width of the     
dresses1 the consequence of which was   
felt in the country1 if not in the      
towns4 ,then woe to those who had to    
cross a ditch or a stile6 ,one of two   
things was inevitable2 either the       
unfortunate lady was thrown to the      
ground1--and in this case it was no easy
 matter to rise again1--or her dress was
 split up4 ,the result depended entirely
 upon the strength of the materials of  
which the dress was composed4 ,the next 
variation1 the gigot sleeves1 namely1   
were a positive deformity1 inasmuch as  
they gave an unnatural width to the     
shoulders--a defect which was further   
increased by the large collars which    
fell over them1 thus violating one of   
the first principles of beauty in the   

female form1 which demands that this    
part of the body should be narrow2      
breadth of shoulder being one of the    
distinguishing characteristics of the   
stronger sex4 ,we remember to have seen 
an engraving from a portrait1 by        
,lawrence1 of the late ,lady            
,blessington1 in which the breadth of   
the shoulders appeared to be at least   
three quarters of a yard4 ,when a person
 of low stature1 wearing sleeves of this
 description1 was covered with one of   
the long cloaks1 which were made wide at
 the shoulders to admit the sleeves1 and
 to which was appended a deep and very  
full cape1 the effect was ridiculous1   
and the outline of the whole mass       
resembled that of a haycock with a head 
on the top4 ,fig4 #cg4 ,one absurdity   
generally leads to another2 to balance  
the wide shoulders1 the bonnets and caps
 were made of enormous dimensions1 and  
were decorated with a profusion of      
ribbons and flowers4 ,so absurd was the 
whole combination1 that1 when we meet   

with a portrait of this period1 we can  
only look on it in the light of a       
caricature1 and wonder that such should 
ever have been so universal as to be    
adopted at last by all who wished to    
avoid singularity4 ,the transition from 
the broad shoulders and gigot sleeves to
 the tight sleeves and graceful black   
scarf was quite refreshing to a tasteful
 eye4 ,these were a few of the freaks of
 fashion during the last half century4  
,had they been quite harmless1 we might 
have considered them as merely          
ridiculous2 but some of them were       
positively indecent1 and others         
detrimental to health4 ,we grieve       
especially for the former charge3 it is 
an anomaly for which1 considering the   
modest habits and education of our      
countrywomen1 we find it difficult to   
account4  ,it is singular that the      
practice of wearing dresses cut low     
round the bust should be limited to what
 is called full dress1 and to the       
higher1 and1 except in this instance1   

the more refined classes4 ,is it to     
display a beautiful neck and shoulders8 
,no2 for in this case it would be       
confined to those who had beautiful     
necks and shoulders to display4 ,is it  
to obtain the admiration of the other   
sex8 ,that cannot be2 for we believe    
that men look upon this exposure with   
unmitigated distaste1 and that they are 
inclined to doubt the modesty of those  
young ladies who make so profuse a      
display of their charms4 ,but if        
objectionable in the young1 whose youth 
and beauty might possibly be deemed some
 extenuation1 it is disgusting in those 
whose bloom is past1 whether their forms
 are developed with a ripe luxuriance   
which makes the female figures of       
,rubens appear in comparison slender and
 refined1 or whether the yellow skin1   
stretched over the wiry sinews of the   
neck1 remind one of the old women whom  
some of the ,italian masters were       
accustomed to introduce into their      
pieces1 to enhance1 by contrast1 the    

beauty of the principal figures4 ,every 
period of life has a style of dress     
peculiarly appropriate to it1 and we    
maintain that the uncovered bosom so    
conspicuous in the dissolute reign of   
,charles ,,ii41 and from which1 indeed1 
the reign of ,charles ,i4 was not1 as we
 learn from the ,vandyck portraits1     
exempt1 should be limited1 even in its  
widest extension1 to feminine youth1 or 
rather childhood4  ,if the dress be cut 
low1 the bust should be covered after   
the modest and becoming fashion of the  
,italian women1 whose highly picturesque
 costume painters are so fond of        
representing4 ,the white drapery has a  
peculiarly good effect1 placed as it is 
between the skin and richly-colored     
bodice4 ,as examples of this style of   
dress1 we may refer to ,sir ,charles    
,eastlake's ,pilgrims in ,sight of      
,rome1 ,the ,grape ,gatherer of ,capri1 
by ,lehmann1 and ,the ,dancing ,lesson1 
by ,mr4 ,uwins1 all of which are        
engraved in the ,art ,journal4 ,another 

hint may be borrowed from the ,italian  
costume2 we may just allude to it en    
passant4 ,if bodices fitting to the     
shape must be worn1 they should be laced
 across the front in the ,italian       
fashion4 ,fig4 #ch4 ,by this contrivance
 the dress will suit the figure more    
perfectly1 and as the lace may be       
lengthened or shortened at pleasure1 any
 degree of tightness may be given1 and  
the bodice may be accommodated to the   
figure without compressing it4 ,we find 
by the picture in the ,louvre called    
sometimes ,titian's ,mistress that this 
costume is at least as old as ,titian4  
,we have noticed the changes and        
transitions of fashion2 we must mention 
one point in which it has continued     
constant from the time of ,william      
,rufus until the present day1 and which1
 since it has entailed years of         
suffering1 and in many instances has    
caused death1 demands our most serious  
attention4 ,we allude to the pernicious 
practice of tight lacing1 which1 as     

appears from contemporary paintings1 was
 as general on the continent as in      
,england4  ,the savage ,american ,indian
 changes the shape of the soft and      
elastic bones of the skull of his infant
 by compressing it between two boards2  
the intelligent but prejudiced ,chinese 
suffers the head to grow as nature      
formed it1 but confines the foot of the 
female to the size of an infant's2 while
 the highly-intellectual and            
well-informed ,european lady limits the 
growth of her waist by the pressure of  
the stays4 ,when we consider the        
importance of the organs which suffer by
 these customs1 surely we must          
acknowledge that the last is the most   
barbarous practice of the three4  ,we   
read in the history of ,france that the 
war-like ,franks had such a dislike to  
corpulency that they inflicted a fine   
upon all who could not encircle their   
waists with a band of a certain length4 
,how far this extraordinary custom may  
have been influential in introducing the

 predilection for small waists among the
 ladies of that country1 as well as our 
own through the ,norman conquerors1 we  
cannot determine4  ,during the reign of 
,queen ,elizabeth1 the whole of the     
upper part of the body1 from the waist  
to the chin1 was encased in a cuirass of
 whalebone1 the rigidity of which       
rendered easy and graceful movement     
impossible4 ,the portrait of ,elizabeth 
by ,zucchero1 with its stiff dress and  
enormous ruff1 and which has been so    
frequently engraved1 must be in the     
memory of all our readers4 ,stiffness   
was indeed the characteristic of ladies'
 dress at this period2 the whalebone    
cuirass1 covered with the richest       
brocaded silks1 was united at the waist 
with the equally stiff vardingale or    
fardingale1 which descended to the feet 
in the form of a large bell1 without a  
single fold4  ,there is a portrait in   
the possession of ,mr4 ,seymour         
,fitzgerald of the unfortunate ,mary    
,queen of ,scots1 when quite young1 in a

 dress of this kind2 and one cannot help
 pitying the poor girl's rigid          
confinement in her stiff and            
uncomfortable dress4 ,fig4 #da          
represents ,jeanne d',albret1 the mother
 of ,henry ,,iv41 in the fardingale4    
,illustration3 ,pl4 #c4    ,figure #ci4 
,dress1 with short waist and sleeves4   
#da4 ,dress of the mother of ,henry     
,,iv4          #dj4 ,dress of ,henrietta
 ,maria4          #db4 ,from the        
,illustrated ,london ,news4     ,with   
,henrietta ,maria dresses cut low in the
 front1 7,fig4 #dj17 and flowing        
draperies1 as we find them in the       
,vandyck portraits1 came into fashion1  
but the figure still retained its       
stiffness around the waist1 and has     
continued to do so through all the      
gradations and variations in shape and  
size of the hoop petticoat1 and the     
scanty draperies of a later period1     
until the present day4#b    #b ,the     
fardingale differed from the hoop in the
 following   particulars3 ,the hoop     

petticoat was gathered round the waist1 
while   the fardingale was without a    
fold of any description4 ,the most      
extraordinary instances we remember to  
have seen of the fardingale1   are in   
two or three pictures of the ,virgin in 
the ,spanish gallery in   the ,louvre1  
where the fardingale in which the       
,virgin is dressed   takes the form of  
an enormous mitre4  ,if the proportions 
of the figure were generally understood1
 we should not hear of those deplorable1
 and in many cases fatal1 results of    
tight lacing which have unfortunately   
been so numerous4 ,so general has the   
pernicious practice been in this        
country1 that a medical friend1 who is  
professor of anatomy in a provincial    
academy1 informed us that there was     
great difficulty in procuring a model   
whose waist had not been compressed by  
stays4 ,that this is true of other      
localities besides that alluded to1 may 
be inferred from a passage in ,mr4      
,hay's lecture to the ,society of ,arts 

,on the ,geometrical ,principles of     
,beauty1 in which he mentions having1   
for the purpose of verifying his theory1
 employed an artist who1 having studied 
the human figure at the life academies  
on the continent1 in ,london1 and in    
,edinburgh1 was well acquainted with the
 subject1 to make a careful drawing of  
the best living model which could be    
procured for the purpose4 ,mr4 ,hay     
observes1 with reference to this        
otherwise fine figure1 that the waist   
has evidently been compressed by the use
 of stays4 ,in further confirmation of  
the prevalence of this bad habit1 we may
 refer to ,etty's pictures1 in which    
this defect is but too apparent4  ,we   
fear1 from ,mr4 ,planche's extracts1    
that the evil was perpetuated by the    
poets and romance writers of the ,norman
 period2 and we are sure that the       
novelists of our own times have much to 
answer for on this score4 ,had they not 
been forever praising taper waists1     
tight lacing would have shared the fate 

of other fashions1 and have been        
banished from all civilized society4    
,similar blame does not attach to the   
painter and sculptor4 ,the creations of 
their invention are modelled upon the   
true principles of proportion and       
beauty1 and in their works a small waist
 and foot are always accompanied by a   
slender form4 ,in the mind of the poet  
and novelist the same associations may  
take place3 when a writer describes the 
slender waist or small foot1 he probably
 sees mentally the whole slender figure4
 ,the small waist is a proportionate    
part of the figure of his creation4 ,but
 there is this difference between the   
painter and sculptor1 and the novelist4 
,the works of the first two address     
themselves to the eye1 and every part of
 the form is present to the spectator2  
consequently1 as regards form1 nothing  
is left to the imagination4 ,with       
respect to the poet and novelist1 their 
creations are almost entirely mental    
ones2 their descriptions touch upon a   

few striking points only1 and are seldom
 so full as to fill up the entire form3 
much is1 therefore1 necessarily left to 
the imagination of the reader4 ,now1 the
 fashion in which the reader will supply
 the details left undetermined by the   
poet and novelist1 and fill up their    
scanty and shadowy outlines1 depends    
entirely upon his knowledge of form2    
consequently1 if this be small1 the     
images which arise in the mind of the   
reader from the perusal of works of     
genius are confused and imperfect1 and  
the proportions of one class of forms   
are assigned to1 or mingled with1 those 
of others1 without the slightest regard 
to truth and nature4 ,when we say1      
therefore1 that writers leave much to   
the imagination1 it may too frequently  
be understood1 to the ignorance of the  
reader2 for the imaginations of those   
acquainted with form and proportion1 who
 generally constitute the minority1     
always create well-proportioned ideal   
forms2 while the ideal productions of   

the uneducated1 whether expressed by the
 pencil1 the chisel1 or the pen1 are    
always ill proportioned and defective4  
,the most efficient method of putting an
 end to the practice of tight lacing    
will be1 not merely to point out its    
unhealthiness1 and even dangerous       
consequences1 because these1 though     
imminent1 are uncertain1--every lady who
 resorts to the practice hoping that    
she1 individually1 may escape the       
penalty1--but to prove that the         
practice1 so far from adding to the     
beauty of the figure1 actually          
deteriorates it4 ,this is an effect1 not
 doubtful1 like the former case1 but an 
actual and positive fact2 and1          
therefore1 it supplies a good and       
sufficient reason1 and one which the    
most obtuse intellect can comprehend1   
for avoiding the practice4 ,young ladies
 will sometimes1 it is said1 run the    
risk of ill health for the sake of the  
interest that in some cases attaches to 
delicate health2 but is there any one   

who would like to be told that1 by tight
 lacing1 she makes her figure not only  
deformed1 but positively ugly8 ,this1   
however1 is the plain unvarnished truth2
 and1 by asserting it1 we are striking  
at the root of the evil4 ,the remedy is 
easy3 give to every young lady a general
 knowledge of form1 and of the          
principles of beauty as applied to the  
human frame1 and when these are better  
understood1 and acted on1 tight lacing  
will die a natural death4  ,the study of
 form1 on scientific principles1 has    
hitherto been limited entirely to men2  
and if some women have attained this    
knowledge1 it has been by their own     
unassisted efforts2 that is to say1     
without the advantages which men derive 
from lectures and academical studies4   
,in this1 as in other acquirements1 the 
pursuit of knowledge1 as regards women1 
is always attended with difficulties4   
,while fully concurring in the propriety
 of having separate schools for male and
 female students1 we do think that a    

knowledge of form may be communicated to
 all persons1 and that a young woman    
will not make the worse wife1 or mother1
 for understanding the economy of the   
human frame1 and for having acquired the
 power of appreciating its beauties4 ,we
 fear that there are still some persons 
whose minds are so contracted as to     
think that1 not only studies of this    
nature1 but even the contemplation of   
undraped statuary1 are derogatory to the
 delicacy and purity of the female mind2
 but we are satisfied that the thinking 
part of the community will approve the  
course we recommend4 ,dr4 ,southwood    
,smith1 who is so honorably             
distinguished by his endeavors to       
promote the sanatory condition of the   
people1 strenuously advocates the       
necessity of giving to all women a      
knowledge of the structure and functions
 of the body1 with a view to the proper 
discharge of their duties as mothers4   
,he remarks 7,preface to ,philosophy of 
,health7 on this subject1 ,i look upon  

that notion of delicacy which would     
exclude women from knowledge calculated 
in an extraordinary degree to open1     
exalt1 and purify their minds1 and to   
fit them for the performance of their   
duties1 as alike degrading to those to  
whom it affects to show respect1 and    
debasing to the mind that entertains it4
  ,at the present time1 the knowledge of
 what constitutes true beauty of form   
is1 perhaps1 best acquired by the       
contemplation of good pictures and      
sculpture4 ,this may not be in the power
 of every body2 casts1 however1 may be  
frequently obtained from the best       
statues2 and many of the finest works of
 painting are rendered familiar to us by
 engravings4 ,the ,art ,journal has done
 much in diffusing a taste for art1 by  
the engravings it contains from statues1
 and from the fine works of ,english art
 in the ,vernon ,gallery4 ,engravings1  
however1 can of course represent a      
statue in one point of view only2 but   
casts are now so cheap as to be within  

the reach of all persons4 ,small models 
of the ,greek ,slave are not            
unfrequently offered by the ,italian    
image venders for one shilling2 and     
although these are not sharp enough to  
draw from1 the form is sufficiently     
correct to study the general proportions
 of the figure2 and as this figure is   
more upright than statues usually are1  
it may be found exceedingly useful for  
the above purpose4 ,one of these casts1 
or1 if possible1 a sharper and better   
cast of a female figure1 should be found
 on the toilette of every young lady who
 is desirous of obtaining a knowledge of
 the proportions and beauties of the    
figure4  ,we believe it will always be  
found that the beauty of a figure       
depends not only upon the symmetry of   
the parts individually1 but upon the    
harmony and proportion of each part to  
the rest4 ,the varieties of the human   
form have been classed under the general
 heads of the broad1 the proportionate1 
and the slender4  ,the first betokens   

strength2 and what beauty soever1 of a  
peculiar kind1 it may display in the    
figure of the ,hercules1 it is not      
adapted to set off the charms of the    
female sex4 ,if1 however1 each          
individual part bears a proportionate   
relation to the whole1 the figure will  
not be without its attraction4 ,it is   
only when the proportions of two or     
three of the classes are united in one  
individual1 that the figure becomes     
ungraceful and remarkable4 ,the         
athletic--if the term may be applied to 
females--form of the country girl would 
appear ridiculous with the small waist1 
and the white and taper fingers1 and    
small feet of the individuals who come  
under the denomination of slender forms4
 ,the tall and delicate figure would    
lose its beauty if united to the large  
and broad hands which pertain to the    
stronger type4 ,a small waist and foot  
are as great a blemish to an individual 
of the broad variety as a large waist   
and foot are to the slender4 ,there is a

 harmony1 says ,dr4 ,wampen1 between all
 the parts in each kind of form1 but    
each integral is only suited to its own 
kind of form4 ,true beauty consists not 
only in the harmony of the elements1 but
 in their being suitable to the kind of 
form4 ,were this fundamental truth but  
thoroughly understood1 small waists and 
small feet would be at a discount4 ,when
 they are recognized as small1 they have
 ceased to be beautiful1 because they   
are disproportionate4 ,where every part 
of a figure is perfectly proportioned to
 the rest1 no single parts appear either
 large or small4  ,the ill effects of   
the stays in a sanatory point of view   
have been frequently pointed out1 and we
 hope are now understood4 ,it will1     
therefore1 be unnecessary to enlarge on 
this head4 ,we have asserted that stays 
are detrimental to beauty of form2 we   
shall now endeavor to show in what      
particulars4    ,illustration3 ,pl4 #d4 
,figures #dc1 #dd4 ,from the plates of  
,sommaering1 shows the waist of the     

,venus of antiquity4           #de1 #df4
 ,the waist of a modern lady1 from the  
above4               #di4 ,from the     
,london ,news4               #ej4 ,woman
 of ,mitylene4               #ec4       
,algerine woman4               #ed4 ,the
 archon's wife4     ,the natural form of
 the part of the trunk which forms the  
waist is not absolutely cylindrical1 but
 is flattened considerably in front and 
back1 so that the breadth is much       
greater from side to side than from     
front to back4 ,this was undoubtedly    
contrived for wise purposes2 yet        
fashion1 with its usual caprice1 has    
interfered with nature1 and by          
promulgating the pernicious error that a
 rounded form of the waist is more      
beautiful than the flattened form       
adopted by nature1 has endeavored to    
effect this change by means of the      
stays1 which force the lower ribs closer
 together1 and so produce the desired   
form4 ,nothing can be more ungraceful   
than the sudden diminution in the size  

of the waist occasioned by the          
compression of the ribs1 as compared    
with the gently undulating line of      
nature2 yet1 we are sorry to say1       
nothing is more common4 ,a glance at the
 cuts1 ,figs4 #dc1 #dd1 #de1 #df1 from  
the work of ,sommaering1 will explain   
our meaning more clearly than words4    
,fig4 #dc represents the natural waist  
of the ,venus of antiquity2 ,fig4 #de1  
that of a lady of the modern period4    
,the diagrams #dd and #df show the      
structure of the ribs of each4  ,it will
 be seen that1 by the pressure of the   
stays1 the arch formed by the lower ribs
 is entirely closed1 and the waist      
becomes four or five inches smaller than
 it was intended by nature4 ,is it any  
wonder that persons so deformed should  
have bad health1 or that they should    
produce unhealthy offspring8 ,is it any 
wonder that so many young mothers should
 have to lament the loss of their first 
born8 ,we have frequently traced tight  
lacing in connection with this sad      

event1 and we cannot help looking upon  
it as cause and effect4  ,by way of     
further illustration1 we refer our      
readers to some of the numerous         
engravings from statues in the ,art     
,journal1 which1 though very beautiful1 
are not distinguished by small waists4  
,we may mention1 as examples1 ,bailey's 
,graces2 ,marshall's ,dancing ,girl     
,reposing2 ,the ,toilet1 by ,wickman2   
,the ,bavaria1 by ,schwanthaler2 and    
,the ,psyche1 by ,theed4  ,there is     
another effect produced by tight lacing1
 which is too ungraceful in its results 
to be overlooked1 namely1 that a        
pressure on one part is frequently1 from
 the elasticity of the figure1          
compensated by an enlargement in another
 part4 ,it has been frequently urged by 
inconsiderate persons1 that1 where there
 is a tendency to corpulency1 stays are 
necessary to limit exuberant growth1 and
 confine the form within the limits of  
gentility4 ,we believe that this is     
entirely a mistake1 and that1 if the    

waist be compressed1 greater fulness    
will be perceptible both above and      
below1 just as1 when one ties a string  
tight round the middle of a pillow1 it  
is rendered fuller at each end4 ,with   
reference to the waist1 as to every     
thing else1 the juste milieu is         
literally the thing to be desired4  ,it 
has been already observed1 that a small 
waist is beautiful only when it is      
accompanied by a slender and small      
figure2 but1 as the part of the trunk1  
immediately beneath the arms1 is filled 
with powerful muscles1 these1 when      
developed by exercise1 impart a breadth 
to this part of the figure which1 by    
comparison1 causes the waist to appear  
small4 ,a familiar example of this1 in  
the male figure1 presents itself in the 
,hercules1 the waist of which appears   
disproportionately small2 yet it is     
really of the normal size1 its apparent 
smallness being occasioned by the       
prodigious development of the muscles of
 the upper part of the body4  ,the true 

way of diminishing the apparent size of 
the waist1 is1 as we have remarked      
above1 by increasing the power of the   
muscles of the upper part of the frame4 
,this can only be done by exercise2 and 
as the habits of society1 as now        
constituted1 preclude the employment of 
young ladies in household duties1 they  
are obliged to find a substitute for    
this healthy exertion in calisthenics4  
,there was a time when even the queens  
of ,spain did not disdain to employ     
their royal hands in making sausages2   
and to such perfection was this culinary
 accomplishment carried at one period1  
that it is upon record that the ,emperor
 ,charles ,v41 after his retirement from
 the cares and dignities of the empire1 
longed for sausages of the kind which   
,queen ,juana1 now in glory1 used to    
pride herself in making in the ,flemish 
fashion4 7,see ,mr4 ,stirling's         
,cloister ,life of ,charles ,v47 ,this  
is really like going back to the old    
times1 when--      ,the ,queen of       

,hearts1 she made some tarts4  ,in      
,england1 some fifty years ago1 the     
young ladies of the ancient city of     
,norwich were not considered to have    
completed their education1 until they   
had spent some months under the tuition 
of the first confectioner in the city1  
in learning to make cakes and pastry--an
 art which they afterwards continued    
when they possessed houses of their own4
 ,this wholesome discipline of beating  
eggs and whipping creams1 kneading      
biscuits and gingerbread1 was calculated
 to preserve their health1 and afford   
sufficient exercise to the muscles of   
the arms and shoulders1 without having  
recourse to artificial modes of         
exertion4  ,it does not appear that the 
ancients set the same value upon a small
 waist as the moderns2 for1 in their    
draped female figures1 the whole circuit
 of the waist is seldom visible1 some   
folds of the drapery being suffered to  
fall over a part1 thus leaving its exact
 extent to the imagination4 ,the same   

remark is applicable to the great       
,italian painters1 who seldom marked the
 whole contour of the waist1 unless when
 painting portraits1 in which case the  
costume was of course observed4  ,it was
 not so1 however1 with the shoulders1   
the true width of which was always seen2
 and how voluminous soever the folds of 
the drapery around the body1 it was     
never arranged so as to add to the width
 of the shoulders4 ,narrow shoulders and
 broad hips are esteemed beauties in the
 female figure1 while in the male figure
 the broad shoulders and narrow hips are
 most admired4    ,illustration3 ,pl4   
#e4    ,figure #dg4 ,athenian peasant4  
#dh4 ,shepherdess of ,arcadia4          
#ea4 ,athenian woman4          #eb4     
,french costume of the tenth century4   
#fb4 ,lady of the time of ,henry ,v4    
,the costume of the modern ,greeks is   
frequently very graceful1 7,fig4 #dg1   
peasant from the environs of ,athens17  
and it adapts itself well to the figure1
 the movements of which it does not     

restrain4 ,the prevailing               
characteristics of the costume are a    
long robe1 reaching to the ground1 with 
full sleeves1 very wide at the bands4   
,this dress is frequently embroidered   
with a graceful pattern round the skirt 
and sleeves4 ,over it is worn a pelisse1
 which reaches only to the knees1 and is
 open in front2 either without any      
sleeves1 or with tight ones1 finishing  
at the elbows2 beneath which are seen   
the full sleeves of the long robe4 ,the 
drapery over the bust is full1 and is   
sometimes confined at the waist by a    
belt2 at others it is suffered to hang  
loosely until it meets the broad1       
sash-like girdle which encircles the    
hips1 and which hangs so loosely that   
the hands are rested in its folds as in 
a pocket4  ,the drapery generally       
terminates at the throat1 under a       
necklace of coins or jewels4 ,the most  
usual form of head-dress is a veil so   
voluminous as to cover the head and     
shoulders2 one end of the veil is       

frequently thrown over the shoulder1 or 
gathered into a knot behind4 ,the shoes1
 apparently worn only for walking1      
consist generally of a very thick sole1 
with a cap over the toes4  ,one glance  
at the graceful figures in the plates is
 sufficient to show how unnecessary     
stays are to the beauty of the figure4  
,fig4 #dh1 ,shepherdess of ,arcadia4    
,the modern ,greek costumes which we    
have selected for our illustrations1    
from the beautiful work of ,m4 de       
,stackelberg1 7,costumes et ,peuples de 
la ,grece ,moderne1 published at ,rome1 
#ahbe17 suggest several points for      
consideration1 and some for our         
imitation4 ,the dress is long and       
flowing1 and high in the neck4 ,it does 
not add to the width of the shoulders2  
it conceals the exact size of the waist 
by the loose pelisse1 which is open in  
front2 it falls in a graceful and       
flowing line from the arm-pits1         
narrowing a little at the waist1 and    
spreading gently over the hips1 when the

 skirt falls by its own weight into     
large folds1 instead of curving suddenly
 from an unnaturally small waist over a 
hideous bustle1 and increasing in size  
downward to the hem of the dress1 like a
 bell1 as in the present ,english       
costume4  ,figs4 #db and #di are        
selected from the ,illustrated ,london  
,news4 7,volume for #ahea1 ,july to     
,december1 pp4 #bj and #aag47 ,the one  
represents out-door costume1 the other  
in-door4 ,many such are scattered       
through the pages of our amusing and    
valuable contemporary4 ,for the out-door
 costume we beg to refer our readers to 
the large woodcut in the same volume1   
7pp4 #dbd1 #dbe47 ,if a traveller from a
 distant country1 unacquainted with the 
,english and ,french fashions1 were to  
contemplate this cut1 he would be       
puzzled to account for the remarkable   
shape of the ladies1 who all1 more or   
less1 resemble the figure we have       
selected for our illustration2 and1 if  
he is any thing of a naturalist1 he will

 set them down in his own mind as       
belonging to a new species of the genus 
homo4 ,looking at this and other prints 
of the day1 we should think that the    
artists intended to convey a satire on  
the ladies' dress1 if we did not        
frequently meet with such figures in    
real life4  ,the lady in the evening    
dress 7,fig4 #di7 is from a large       
woodcut in the same journal representing
 a ball4 ,this costume1 with much       
pretension to elegance1 exhibits most of
 the faults of the modern style of      
dress4 ,it combines the indecently low  
dress1 with the pinched waist1 and the  
hoop petticoat4 ,in the figure of the   
woman of ,mitylene1 7,fig4 #ej17 the    
true form and width of the shoulders are
 apparent1 and the form of the bust is  
indicated1 but not exposed1 through the 
loosely fitting drapery which covers it4
 ,in the figure of the ,athenian        
peasant1 7,fig4 #dg174 the loose drapery
 over the bust is confined at the waist 
by a broad band1 while the hips are     

encircled by the sash-like girdle in    
which the figure rests her hands4 ,the  
skirt of the pelisse appears double1 and
 the short sleeve1 embroidered at the   
edge1 shows the full sleeve of the under
 drapery1 also richly embroidered4 ,in  
the second figure from the environs of  
,athens1 7,fig4 #ea17 we observe that   
the skirt of the pelisse1 instead of    
being set on in gathers or plaits1 as   
our dresses are1 is gored1 or sloped    
away at the top1 where it unites almost 
imperceptibly with the body1 giving rise
 to undulating lines1 instead of sudden 
transitions and curves4 ,in the cut of  
the ,arcadian peasant1 7,fig4 #dh17 the 
pelisse is shortened almost to a        
spencer1 or cote hardie1 and it wants   
the graceful flow of the longer skirt1  
for which the closely fitting           
embroidered apron is no compensation4   
,this figure is useful in showing that  
tight bodies may be fitted to the figure
 without stays4 ,the heavy rolled girdle
 on the hips is no improvement4 ,the    

dress of the ,algerine woman1 7,fig4    
#ec17 copied from the ,illustrated      
,london ,news1 bears a strong           
resemblance to the ,greek costume1 and  
is very graceful4 ,it is not deformed   
either by the pinched waist or the      
stays4 ,in the tenth century1 the       
,french costume 7,fig4 #eb7 somewhat    
resembled that of the modern ,greeks2   
the former1 however1 had not the short  
pelisse1 but1 in its place1 the ladies  
wore a long veil1 which covered the     
head1 and reached nearly to the feet4   
,the ,greek and ,oriental costume has   
always been a favorite with painters3   
the ,vernon ,gallery furnishes us with  
two illustrations2 and the excellent    
engravings of these subjects in the ,art
 ,journal enable us to compare the      
costumes of the two figures while at a  
distance from the originals4 ,the       
graceful figure of ,the ,greek ,girl1   
7engraved in the ,art ,journal for      
#ahej17 painted by ,sir ,charles        
,eastlake1 is not compressed by stays1  

but is easy and natural4 ,the white     
under-drapery is confined at the waist1 
which is short1 by a broad girdle1 which
 appears to encircle it more than once1 
and adds to the apparent length of the  
waist2 the open jacket1 without a       
collar1 falls gracefully from the       
shoulders1 and conceals the limits of   
the waist2 every thing is easy1 natural1
 and graceful4 ,m4 ,de ,stackelberg's   
beautiful figure of the ,archon's ,wife 
7,fig4 #ed7 shows the district whence   
,sir ,c4 ,eastlake drew his model4      
,there is the same flowing hair1--from  
which hang carnations1 as in the picture
 in the ,vernon ,gallery1--the same cap1
 the same necklace4 ,but in the baron's 
figure1 we find the waist encircled with
 a broad band1 six or seven inches in   
width1 while the lady rests her hand on 
the sash-like girdle1 which falls round 
the hips4  ,turn we now to              
,pickersgill's ,syrian ,maid1 7engraved 
in the ,art ,journal for #ahej37 here1  
we see1 the artist has taken a painter's

 license1 and represented the fair      
,oriental in stays1 which1 we believe1  
are happily unknown in the ,east4 ,how  
stiff and constrained does this figure  
appear1 after looking at ,sir ,c4       
,eastlake's beautiful ,greek ,girl2 how 
unnatural the form of the chest6 ,the   
limits of the waist are not visible1 it 
is true1 in the ,syrian ,maid1 but the  
shadow is so arranged1 that the rounded 
form1 to which we have before alluded1  
and which fashion deems necessary1 is   
plainly perceptible2 and an impression  
is made that the waist is small and     
pinched4  ,we could mention some cases  
in which the girdle is omitted          
altogether1 without any detriment to the
 gracefulness of the figure4 ,such      
dresses1 however1 though illustrative of
 the principle1 are not adapted to the  
costume of real life4 ,in sculpture1    
however1 they frequently occur4 ,we may 
mention ,gibson's statue of her majesty1
 the female figure in ,m',dougall's     
,triumph of ,love1 and ,penelope1 by    

,wyatt1 which are engraved in the ,art  
,journal1 7the first in the year #ahdf1 
the others in #ahdi47 ,but the drapery  
of statues can1 however1 scarcely be    
taken as a precedent for that of the    
living subject1 and although we mention 
that the girdle is sometimes dispensed  
with1 we are far from advocating this in
 practice2 nay1 we consider the sash or 
girdle is indispensable2 all that we    
stipulate for is1 that it should not be 
so tight as to compress the figure1 or  
impede circulation4  ,in concluding our 
remarks on this subject1 we would       
observe1 that the best means of         
improving the figure are to secure      
freedom of motion by the use of light   
and roomy clothing1 and to strengthen   
the muscles by exercise4 ,we may also   
observe1 that singing is not only       
beneficial to the lungs1 but that it    
strengthens the muscles1 and increases  
the size of the chest1 and1             
consequently1 makes the waist appear    
smaller4 ,singing1 and other suitable   

exercises in which both arms are used   
equally1 will improve the figure more   
than all the backboards in the world4   
,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,the ,,head4   ,there
 is no part of the body which has been  
more exposed to the vicissitudes of     
fashion than the head1 both as regards  
its natural covering of hair1 and the   
artificial covering of caps and bonnets4
 ,at one time1 we read of sprinkling the
 hair with gold dust2 at another time1  
the bright brown hair1 of the color of  
the horse-chestnut1 so common in        
,italian pictures1 was the fashion4     
,this color1 as well as that beautiful  
light golden tint sometimes seen in     
,italian pictures of the same period1   
was frequently the result of art1 and   
receipts for producing both tints are   
still to be found in old books of       
secreti4 ,both these were in their turn 
discarded1 and after a time the real    
color of the hair was lost in powder and
 pomatum4 ,the improving taste of the   
present generation is1 perhaps1 nowhere 

more conspicuous than in permitting us  
to preserve the natural color of the    
hair1 and to wear our own1 whether it be
 black1 brown1 or gray4 ,there is also a
 marked improvement in the more natural 
way in which the hair has been arranged 
during the last thirty years4 ,we       
allude1 particularly1 to its being      
suffered to retain the direction        
intended by nature1 instead of being    
combed upright1 and turned over a       
cushion a foot or two in height4  ,these
 head-dresses1 emphatically called1 from
 their ,french origin1 tetes1 were built
 or plastered up only once a month3 it  
is easy to imagine what a state they    
must have been in during the latter part
 of the time4 ,madame ,d',oberkirch     
gives1 in her ,memoirs1 an amusing      
description of a novel head-dress of    
this kind4 ,we transcribe it for the    
amusement of our readers4  ,this blessed
 #fth of ,june she awakened me at the   
earliest dawn4 ,i was to get my hair    
dressed1 and make a grand toilette1 in  

order to go to ,versailles1 whither the 
queen had invited the ,countess du      
,nord1 for whose amusement a comedy was 
to be performed4 ,these ,court toilettes
 are never-ending1 and this road from   
,paris to ,versailles very fatiguing1   
especially where one is in continual    
fear of rumpling her petticoats and     
flounces4 ,i tried that day1 for the    
first time1 a new fashion--one1 too1    
which was not a little genante4 ,i wore 
in my hair little flat bottles1 shaped  
to the curvature of the head2 into these
 a little water was poured1 for the     
purpose of preserving the freshness of  
the natural flowers worn in the hair1   
and of which the stems were immersed in 
the liquid4 ,this did not always        
succeed1 but when it did1 the effect was
 charming4 ,nothing could be more lovely
 than the floral wreath crowning the    
snowy pyramid of powdered hair6 ,few of 
our readers1 we reckon1 are inclined to 
participate in the admiration of the    
baroness1 so fancifully expressed1 for  

this singular head-dress4  ,we do not   
presume to enter into the question      
whether short curls are more becoming   
than long ones1 or whether bands are    
preferable to curls of any kind2        
because1 as the hair of some persons    
curls naturally1 while that of others is
 quite straight1 we consider that this  
is one of the points which must be      
decided accordingly as one style or the 
other is found to be most suitable to   
the individual4 ,the principle in the   
arrangement of the hair round the       
forehead should be to preserve or assist
 the oval form of the face3 as this     
differs in different individuals1 the   
treatment should be adapted accordingly4
  ,the arrangement of the long hair at  
the back of the head is a matter of     
taste2 as it interferes but little with 
the countenance1 it may be referred to  
the dictates of fashion2 although in    
this1 as in every thing else1 simplicity
 in the arrangement1 and grace in the   
direction of the lines1 are the chief   

points to be considered4 ,one of the    
most elegant head-dresses we remember to
 have seen1 is that worn by the peasants
 of the ,milanese and ,ticinese4 ,they  
have almost uniformly glossy1 black     
hair1 which is carried round the back of
 the head in a wide braid1 in which are 
placed1 at regular intervals1 long      
silver pins1 with large heads1 which    
produce the effect of a coronet1 and    
contrast well with the dark color of the
 hair4    ,illustration3 ,pl4 #f4       
,figure #ee4 ,after ,parmegiano4        
#ef4 ,titian's daughter4          #eg4  
,lady ,harrington4          #ei4 ,roman 
peasant4          #fa4 ,gigot sleeves4  
,the examples afforded by modern        
sculpture are not very instructive1     
inasmuch as the features selected by the
 sculptors are almost exclusively       
,greek1 whereas the variety in nature is
 infinite4 ,with the ,greek features has
 also been adopted the antique style of 
arranging the hair1 which is beautifully
 simple2 that is to say1 it is parted in

 the front1 and falling down towards    
each temple1 while the long ends rolled 
lightly back from the face so as to show
 the line which separates the hair from 
the forehead1 or rather where it seems1 
as it were1 to blend with the flesh     
tints--an arrangement which assists in  
preserving the oval contour of the face1
 are passed over the top of the ear1 and
 looped into the fillet which binds the 
head4 ,the very becoming arrangement of 
the hair in the engraving1 from a       
portrait by ,parmegianino1 7,fig4 #ee17 
is an adaptation of the antique style1  
and is remarkable for its simplicity and
 grace4 ,not less graceful1 although    
more ornamental1 is the arrangement of  
the hair in the beautiful figure called 
,titian's ,daughter4 ,fig4 #ef4 ,in both
 these instances1 we observe the        
line--if line it may be called--where   
the color of the hair blends so         
harmoniously with the delicate tints of 
the forehead4 ,the same arrangement of  
the hair round the face may be traced in

 the pictures by ,murillo1 and other    
great masters4  ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds  
has frequently evinced consummate skill 
in the arrangement of the hair1 so as to
 show the line which divides it from the
 forehead4 ,for some interesting remarks
 on this subject1 we refer our readers  
to an ,essay on ,dress1 republished by  
,mr4 ,murray from the ,quarterly        
,review4 ,nothing can be more graceful  
than ,sir ,joshua's mode of disposing of
 the hair when he was able to follow the
 dictates of his own good taste2 and he 
deserves great credit for the skill with
 which he frequently treated the        
enormous head-dresses which in his time 
disfigured the heads of our             
countrywomen4 ,the charming figure of   
,lady ,harrington 7,fig4 #eg7 would have
 been perfect without the superstructure
 on her beautiful head4 ,how stiff is   
the head-dress of the next figure1      
7,fig4 #eh17 also1 after ,sir ,joshua1  
when compared with the preceding4  ,the 
graceful ,spanish mantilla1 to which we 

can only allude1 is too elegant to be   
overlooked3 the modification of it1     
which of late years has been introduced 
into this country1 is to be considered  
rather as an ornament than as a         
head-covering4 ,it has been recently    
superseded by the long bows of ribbon   
worn at the back of the head--a costume 
borrowed from the ,roman peasants4 ,fig4
 #ei4 ,the fashion for young people to  
cover the hair with a silken net1 which1
 some centuries ago1 was prevalent both 
in ,england and in ,france1 has been    
again revived4 ,some of the more recent 
of these nets are very elegant in form4 
,the hats and bonnets have1 during the  
last few years1 been so moderate in     
size1 and generally so graceful in form1
 that we will not criticize them more   
particularly4 ,it will be sufficient to 
observe that1 let the brim be what shape
 it will1 the crown should be nearly of 
the form and size of the head4 ,if this 
principle were always kept in view1 as  
it should be1 we should never again see 

the monster hats and bonnets which1 some
 years ago1 and even in the memory of   
persons now living1 caricatured the     
lovely forms of our countrywomen4       
,,chapter ,,iv4  ,,the ,,dress4   ,we   
shall consider the dress1 by which we   
mean1 simply1 the upper garment worn    
within doors1 as consisting of three    
parts--the sleeve1 the body1 and the    
skirt4  ,the sleeve has changed its form
 as frequently as any part of our       
habiliments3 sometimes it reached to the
 wrist1 sometimes to a short distance   
below the shoulder4 ,sometimes it was   
tight to the arm2 sometimes it fell in  
voluminous folds to the hands2 now it   
was widest at the top1 then widest at   
the bottom4 ,to large sleeves themselves
 there is no objection1 in a pictorial  
point of view1 provided that their point
 of junction with the shoulder is so    
conspicuous that they do not add to the 
apparent width of the body in this part4
 ,the lines of the sleeves should be    
flowing2 and they are much more graceful

 when they are widest in the lower part1
 especially when so open as to display  
to advantage the beautiful form of the  
wrist and fore-arm4 ,in this way1 they  
partake of the pyramid1 while the       
inelegant gigot sleeve1 which for so    
long a period enjoyed the favor of the  
ladies1 presents the form of a cone     
reverted1 and is obviously out of place 
in the human figure4 ,when the large    
sleeve1 supported by canes or           
whalebones1 forms a continuous line with
 the shoulder1 it gives an unnatural    
width to this part of the figure--an    
effect that is increased by the large   
collar which conceals the point where   
the sleeve meets the dress4 ,examples of
 the large1 open sleeve1 in its extreme 
character1 may be studied with most     
advantage in the portraits of ,vandyck4 
,fig4 #fj1 ,lady ,lucy ,percy1 after    
,vandyck4 ,the effect of these sleeves  
is frequently improved by their being   
lined with a different color1 and       
sometimes by contrasting the rich silk  

of the outer sleeve with the thin gauze 
or lace which forms the immediate       
covering of the arm4 ,the figures in the
 plates will show the comparative       
gracefulness of two kinds of large      
sleeves1 namely1 that which is widest at
 the top1 and that which is widest      
below4 ,if the outline of the central   
figure of our more modern group1 7,fig4 
#fa17--;consisting of three figures1    
which is copied from a ,french          
work1--were filled up with black1 a     
person ignorant of the fashion might1   
from the great width of the shoulders1  
have mistaken it for the ,farnese       
,hercules in petticoats4  ,the large    
sleeves1 tight in the upper part1 and   
enlarging gradually to the wrist1 which 
are worn by the modern ,greeks1 are     
extremely graceful4 ,when these are     
confined below the elbow1 which is      
sometimes done for convenience1 they    
resemble somewhat the elbow sleeves with
 wide ruffles which were so common in   
the time of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds4     

,sleeves like those now worn in ,greece 
were fashionable in ,france in the tenth
 century1 and again about the beginning 
of the sixteenth century4 ,they were    
also worn by ,jeanne d',albret1 the     
mother of ,henry ,,iv41 and are seen in 
,fig4 #da4  ,a very elegant sleeve1     
fitting nearly close at the shoulder1   
and becoming very full and long till it 
falls in graceful folds almost to the   
feet1 prevailed in ,england during the  
time of ,henry ,v4 and ,,vi4 ,fig4 #fb1 
copied from a manuscript of the time of 
,henry ,v41 now preserved in the        
,british ,museum4 ,on the authority of  
,professor ,heideloff1 it is said to    
have existed also in ,flanders in the   
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries1 and
 in ,france in the fifteenth century4   
,in the examples of continental costume1
 the tout ensemble is graceful1 and     
especially the head-dress2 while in     
,england the elegant sleeve is          
accompanied with very short waists1 and 
with the hideous1 horned head-dresses   

then fashionable4 ,the effect of these  
sleeves much resembles that of the      
mantles of the present day1 and from its
 wide flow is only adapted for full     
dress1 or out-of-door costume4 ,the     
sleeves worn under these full ones were 
generally tight4 ,at a much later       
period1 the large sleeves were made of  
more moderate dimensions1 both in length
 and width1 and a full sleeve of fine   
lawn or muslin1 fastened at the wrist   
with a band1 and edged with a lace      
ruffle1 was worn beneath4 ,this kind of 
sleeve has recently been again          
introduced into ,england1 but has given 
place to another form1 in which the     
under sleeve of lace or muslin1 being of
 the same size as the upper1 suffers the
 lower part of the arm to be visible4   
,the effect of this sleeve1 which is    
certainly becoming to a finely-formed   
arm1 is analogous to that of the elbow  
sleeve1 which1 with its deep ruffles of 
point lace1 is frequent on the portraits
 of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds4             

,illustration3 ,pl4 #g4    ,figure #fc4 
,from ,bonnard's ,costumes4             
#fd4 ,sancta ,victoria4          #fe4   
,anne1 ,countess of ,chesterfield1 from 
,vandyck4          #fg4 ,woman of       
,markinitza4     ,the slashed sleeve1   
criticized by ,shakspeare in the ,taming
 of the ,shrew1 was sometimes very      
elegant4 ,the form in which it appears  
in ,fig4 #fc1 worn in the fifteenth     
century1 is particularly graceful4 ,not 
so1 however1 the lower part of the      
sleeve4  ,in the preceding remarks1 we  
have considered the sleeve merely in a  
picturesque point of view1 without      
reference to its convenience or         
inconvenience4  ,the length of the waist
 has always been a matter of caprice4   
,sometimes the girdle was placed nearly 
under the arms2 sometimes it passed to  
the opposite extreme1 and was suffered  
to fall upon the hips4 ,sometimes it was
 drawn tightly round the middle1 when it
 seemed to cut the body almost in two1  
like an hourglass4 ,judging from what we

 see1 we should say that this is a feat 
which many ladies of the present time   
are endeavoring to achieve4 ,the first  
and third cases are almost equally      
objectionable1 because they distort the 
figure4 ,the hip girdle1 which is common
 in ,greece 7as shown in ,figs4 #dh and 
#ec7 and ,oriental countries1 prevailed 
also in ,england and ,france some       
centuries ago4 ,the miniatures of old   
manuscripts furnish us with examples of 
long-waisted dresses fitting closely to 
the person1 sometimes stiffened like the
 modern stays1 at others yielding to the
 figure4 ,the waist of this kind of     
dress reached to the hips1 where it was 
joined to the full petticoat1 which was 
gathered round the top--an extremely    
ungraceful fashion4 ,the hip girdle1    
properly used1 is1 however1 by no means 
inelegant4 ,it is not at all necessary  
that it should coincide with the waist  
of the dress2 it should be merely looped
 or clasped loosely round the figure1   
and suffered to fall to its place by its

 own weight4 ,but to enable it to do so 
in a graceful manner1 it is essential   
that the skirt of the dress should be so
 united with the body as to produce no  
harsh lines of separation1 or sudden    
changes of curvature2 as1 for example1  
when the skirt is set on in full plaits1
 or gathers1 and spread over a hoop4 ,we
 have before noticed1 that this point   
was attended to by ,rubens1 7,fig4 #ff17
 by ,vandyck1 7,fig4 #fe17 by ,sir      
,joshua ,reynolds1 and by the modern    
,greeks4 ,we refer also to the elegant  
figure #fd4 ,the most natural situation 
for the girdle1 or point of junction of 
the body with the skirt1 is somewhere   
between the end of the breast bone and  
the last rib1 as seen in front--a space 
of about three or four inches4 ,fashion 
may dictate the exact spot1 but within  
this space it cannot be positively      
wrong4 ,the effect is good when the     
whole space is filled with a wide sash  
folded round the waist1 as in ,sir ,c4  
,eastlake's ,greek ,girl1 or some of the

 graceful portraits by ,sir ,joshua     
,reynolds4 ,how much more elegant is a  
sash of this description than the stiff 
line which characterizes the upper part 
of the dress of ,sancta ,victoria4      
7,fig4 #fd47 ,the whalebone1 or busk1 is
 absolutely necessary to keep the dress 
in its proper place4 ,the resemblance in
 form between the body of the dress of  
this figure and those now or recently in
 fashion cannot fail to arrest the      
attention of the reader4 ,stiff1 though1
 as it undoubtedly is1 the whole dress  
is superior to the modern in the general
 flow of the lines uniting the body and 
skirt4 ,long skirts are more graceful   
than short ones1 and a train of moderate
 length adds to the elegance of a dress1
 but not to its convenience4 ,long      
dresses1 also1 add to the apparent      
height of a figure1 and for this reason 
they are well adapted to short persons4 
,for the same reason1 waists of moderate
 length are more generally becoming than
 those that are very long1 because the  

latter1 by shortening the skirt of the  
dress1 diminish the apparent height4    
,besides the variation in length1 the   
skirts of dresses have passed through   
every gradation of fulness4 ,at one     
time1 it was the fashion to slope       
gradually from the waist1 without       
gathers or plaits2 then a little fulness
 was admitted at the back2 then a little
 at the front1 also4 ,the next step was 
to carry the fulness all round the      
waist4 ,in the graceful costume of the  
time of ,vandyck1 and even in the more  
stiff and formal dress delineated in the
 pictures of ,rubens1 the skirt was     
united to the body by large1 flat       
plaits1 when the fulness expanded       
gradually and gracefully1 and the rich  
material of the dress spread in         
well-arranged folds to the feet4 ,the   
lines were gently undulating and        
graceful1 and that unnatural and clumsy 
contrivance called a bustle--a near     
relation of the hoop and fardingale--was
 at that time happily unknown4 ,this    

principle of uniting the skirt gradually
 with the body of the dress is carried  
out to the fullest extent by the modern 
,greeks4 ,in the figure of the peasant  
from the neighborhood of ,athens1 7,fig4
 #dg17 the pelisse is made without      
gathers or plaits3 the skirt1 which     
hangs full round the knees1 is gored or 
sloped away till it fits the body at the
 waist4 ,the long underskirt is1 as we  
find from the figure of the woman of    
,makrinitza1 7,fig4 #fg17 gathered      
several times1 so as to lie flat to the 
figure1 instead of being spread over the
 inelegant bustle4 ,it is only necessary
 to compare these graceful figures1 in  
which due regard has been paid to the   
undulating lines of the figure1 with a  
fashionable lady of the present day1    
whose polka jacket1 or whatever may be  
the name of this article of dress1 is   
cut with violent and deep curves1 to    
enable it to spread itself over the     
bustle and prominent folds of the dress4
    ,illustration3 ,pl4 #h4    ,figure  

#fj4 ,lady ,lucy ,percy1 from ,vandyck4 
#fi1 #gj4 ,by ,jules ,david1 in ,le     
,moniteur de la ,mode4          #fh4    
,the hoop1 after ,hogarth4     ,not     
satisfied with the bustle in the upper  
part of the skirt1 some ladies of the   
present day have returned to the old    
practice of wearing hoops1 to make the  
dresses stand out at the base4 ,these   
are easily recognized in the street by  
the swagging--no other term will exactly
 convey the idea--from side to side of  
the hoops1 an effect which is distinctly
 visible as the wearer walks along4 ,it 
is difficult to imagine what there is so
 attractive in the fardingale and hoop1 
that they should have prevailed1 in some
 form or other1 for so many years1 and  
that they should have maintained their  
ground in spite of the cutting1 though  
playful1 raillery of the ,spectator1 and
 the jeers and caricatures of less      
refined censors of the eccentricities of
 dress4 ,they were not recommended      
either by beauty of line or convenience1

 but by the tyrant ,fashion1 and we owe 
some gratitude to ,george ,,iv41 who    
banished the last relics of this        
singular fashion from the court dress1  
of which1 until his time1 it continued  
to form a part4 ,who could imagine that 
there would be an attempt to revive the 
hoop petticoat in the nineteenth        
century8 ,we invite our readers to      
contrast the lines of the drapery in the
 figures after ,vandyck1 7,figs4 #fj and
 #fa17 and those in the modern ,greek   
costume1 7,figs4 #ea and #ed17 with that
 of a lady in a hoop1 after a satirical 
painter1 ,hogarth1 7,fig4 #fh17 and two 
figures from a design by ,jules ,david1 
in ,le ,moniteur de la ,mode1 a modern  
fashionable authority in dress4 7,figs4 
#fi and #gj47 ,there can be no doubt    
which is the most graceful4 ,the width  
of the shoulders and the tight waist of 
the latter1 will not escape the notice  
of our readers4     ,,chapter ,v4  ,,the
 ,,feet4   ,the same bad taste which    
insists upon a small waist1 let the     

height and proportions of the figure be 
what they will1 decrees that a small    
foot is essential to beauty4  ,size is  
considered of more importance than form2
 and justly so if it is a sine qua non  
that the foot must be small1 because the
 efforts that are made to diminish its  
size generally render it deformed4 ,we  
have before mentioned that to endeavor  
to diminish the size of the human body  
in a particular part1 is like tying a   
string round the middle of a pillow2 it 
only makes it larger at the extremities4
 ,it is so with the waist1 it is so with
 the foot4 ,if it be crippled in length1
 or in width across the toes1 it spreads
 over the instep and sides4 ,the        
,italians and other nations of the south
 of ,europe have smaller hands and feet 
than the ,anglo-,saxons2 and as this    
fact is generally known1 it is          
astonishing that people of sense should 
persist in crippling themselves merely  
for the reputation of having small feet4
 ,here again we have to complain of     

poets and romance writers2 ladies would 
not have pinched their feet into small  
shoes1 if these worthies had not sung   
the praises of tiny feet4      ,her     
feet1 beneath her petticoat1     ,like  
little mice1 stole in and out1     ,as  
if they feared the light4  ,nor are     
painters--portrait painters1 we mean1   
and living ones too--it is needless     
however1 to mention names--entirely free
 from blame for thus ministering to     
vanity and false taste4 ,they have      
sacrificed truth to fashion in painting 
the feet smaller than they could        
possibly be in nature4  ,but it is not  
only with the endeavor to cripple their 
dimensions that we are inclined to      
quarrel4 ,we object in toto to the shape
 of the shoe1 which bears but little    
resemblance to that of the foot4 ,we    
have heard persons say that they could  
never see any beauty in a foot4 ,no     
wonder1 when they saw none but those    
that were deformed by corns and bunions4
 ,how unlike is such a foot to the      

beautiful little--for little it really  
is in this case--fat foot of a child1   
before its beauty has been spoiled by   
shoes1 or even to those of the          
barefooted children one sees so         
frequently in the street4 ,were it not  
for these opportunities of seeing nature
 we1 in this country1 should have but   
little idea of the true shape of the    
human foot1 except what we learn from   
statues4 ,according to a recent         
traveller1 we must go to ,egypt to see  
beautiful feet4 ,it is impossible1 he   
says1 to see any thing more exquisite   
than the feet and hands of the female   
peasants4 ,the same beauty is           
conspicuous in the ,hindoo women4  ,let 
us compare now the shape of the foot    
with that of the sole of a shoe4 ,when  
the foot is placed on the ground1 the   
toes spread out1 the great toe is in a  
straight line with the inner side of the
 foot1 and there is an opening between  
this and the second toe4 ,the ancients  
availed themselves of this opening to   

pass through it one of the straps that  
suspended the sandal4  ,the moderns on  
the contrary press the toes closely     
together1 in order to confine them      
within the limits of the shoe2 the      
consequence is1 that the end of the     
great toe is pressed towards the others1
 and out of the straight line1 the joint
 becomes enlarged1 and thus the         
foundation is laid for a bunion2 while  
the toes1 forced one upon another1      
become distorted and covered with corns4
  ,one of the consequences of this      
imprisonment of our toes is1 that1 from 
being squeezed so closely together1 they
 become useless4 ,let any one try the   
experiment of walking barefooted across 
the room1 and while so doing look at the
 foot4 ,the toes1 when unfettered by the
 shoes1 spread out and divide from one  
another1 and the body rests on a wider  
and firmer base4 ,we begin to find we   
have some movement in our toes2 yet1 how
 feeble is their muscular power1        
compared with that of persons who are   

unaccustomed to the use of shoes6  ,the 
,hindoo uses his toes in weaving2 the   
,australian savage is as handy 7if the  
term can be applied to feet7 with this  
member1 as another man is with his      
hands2 it is the unsuspected instrument 
with which he executes his thefts4 ,the 
country boy1 who runs over the roof of a
 house like a cat1 takes off his shoes  
before he attempts the hazardous        
experiment2 he has a surer hold with his
 foot on the smooth slates and sloping  
roof4 ,the exercise of the muscles of   
the foot has the effect of increasing   
the power of those of the calf of the   
leg2 and the thinner the sole1 and the  
more pliant the materials of which the  
shoe is made1 the more the power is     
developed4  ,dancing masters1 who       
habitually wear thin shoes1 have the    
muscles of the leg well developed1 while
 ploughmen1 who wear shoes with soles an
 inch thick1 have very little calf to   
their leg4 ,the ,french sabot is1 we    
consider1 better than the closely       

fitting shoe of our country people2     
because it is so large1 that it requires
 some muscular exertion to keep it in   
its place4 ,we have frequently seen     
,french boys running in sabots1 the foot
 rising at every step almost out of the 
unyielding wooden shoe4 ,wooden clogs   
and pattens are as bad as the thick     
shoes of the country people4 ,when clogs
 are necessary1 the sole should be made 
of materials which will yield to the    
motion of the foot4 ,the ,american      
,indian's moccasins are a much better   
covering for the foot than our shoes4   
,if thick soles are objectionable by    
impeding the free movement of the limb1 
what shall we say to the high heel which
 was once so popular1 and which         
threatens again to come into fashion8   
,it is to be hoped1 however1 when the   
effects of wearing high heels are duly  
considered1 that this pernicious custom 
will not make progress4 ,it is well for 
their poor unfortunate votaries1 that   
the introduction of certain fashions is 

gradual2 that both mind and             
body--perhaps we should be more correct 
in saying the person of the wearer and  
the eye of the spectator--are1 step by  
step1 prepared for the extreme point    
which certain fashions attain2 they have
 their rise1 their culminating point1   
and their decline4 ,the attempt to      
exchange the short waists1 worn some    
thirty or forty years ago1 for the very 
long waists seen during the past year1  
would have been unsuccessful2 the       
transition would have been too          
great--too violent2 the change was      
effected1 but it was the work of many   
years4 ,the same thing took place with  
regard to the high head-dresses which   
were so deservedly ridiculed by         
,addison1 and in an equally marked      
degree with respect to high heels4 ,the 
shoes in the cut1 after ,gainsborough1  
7,fig4 #ga17 are fair specimens of what 
were in fashion in his time4 ,let the   
reader compare the line of the sole with
 that of the human foot placed1 as      

nature intended it1 flat on the ground4 
,the heel was in some cases four and a  
half inches high2 the line1 therefore1  
must have been in this case1 a highly   
inclined plane1 undulating in its       
surface1 like the line of beauty of     
,hogarth4 ,the position of the foot is  
that of a dancer resting on the toes1   
excepting that the heel is supported1   
and the strain over the instep and      
contraction of the muscles of the back  
of the leg and heel must be             
considerable2 so much so we are told1   
that the contraction of the latter      
becomes habitual2 consequently1 those   
persons who have accustomed themselves  
to the use of high heels1 are never     
afterwards able to do without them4 ,it 
is said that pride never feels pain2 we 
should think the proverb was made for   
those who wear high heels1 for we are   
told1 although we cannot speak from     
personal experience1 that the pain on   
first wearing shoes of this kind1 in    
which the whole weight of the body seems

 to thrust the toes forward into the    
shoe1 is excruciating2 nothing but      
fashion could reconcile one to such     
voluntary suffering4 ,the peas in the   
shoes of the pilgrims could scarcely be 
more painful4    ,illustration3 ,pl4 #i4
    ,figure #ff4 ,from ,rubens's        
,descent from the ,cross4          #ga4 
,from a drawing by ,gainsborough4       
#gb4 ,woman of ,myconia4          #gd4  
,queen ,anne4     ,it was with some     
surprise that we found among ,m4        
,stackelberg's graceful costumes of     
modern ,greece a pair of high-heeled    
shoes1 7,fig4 #gb17 which might rival in
 ugliness and inconvenience any of those
 worn in ,england4  ,we have known an   
instance where the lady's heels were    
never less than an inch and a half high4
 ,we were sorry to observe some of these
 high-heeled shoes in the great         
exhibition1 and still more so1 to see   
that shoes with heels an inch high are  
likely to be fashionable this season4   
,could we look forward to this height as

 the limit of the fashion1 we might     
reconcile ourselves to it for a time2   
but1 judging from past experience1 there
 is reason to fear that the heel will   
become continually higher1 until it     
attains the elevation of former years4  
,not content with imprisoning our feet  
in tight shoes1 and thereby distorting  
their form and weakening their muscular 
power1 we are guilty of another violence
 towards nature4 ,nature has made our   
toes to turn inwards2 when man is left  
to himself the toes naturally take this 
direction1 though in a much less degree 
than in the infant4 ,the ,american      
,indian will trace a ,european by his   
footprints1 which he detects by the     
turning out of the toes2 a lesson we are
 taught in our childhood1 and especially
 by our dancing master4 ,sir ,joshua    
,reynolds used to say1 ,the gestures of 
children1 being all dictated by nature1 
are graceful2 affectation and distortion
 come in with the dancing master4 ,now1 
observe the consequence of turning out  

the toes4 ,the inner ankle is bent      
downwards towards the ground1 and the   
knees are drawn inwards1 producing the  
deformity called knock-kneed2 thus the  
whole limb is distorted1 and            
consequently weakened2 there is always a
 want of muscular power in the legs of  
those who turn their toes very much     
outwards4 ,it must be remarked1 however1
 that women1 from the greater breadth of
 the frame at the hips1 naturally turn  
the toes out more than men4 ,in this    
point also1 statues may be studied with 
advantage4 ,where form only is          
considered1 it is generally safer to    
refer to examples of sculpture than     
painting2 because in the latter1 the    
artist is apt to lose sight of this     
primary object in his attention to color
 and form2 besides1 it is the sculptor  
only1 who makes an exact image of a     
figure which is equally perfect1 seen   
from all points of view4 ,the painter   
makes only a pictorial or perspective   
representation of nature1 as seen from  

one point of view only4  ,what pains we 
take to distort and disfigure the       
beautiful form that nature has bestowed 
upon the human race6 ,now building a    
tower on the head1 then raising the heel
 at the expense of the toe2 at one time 
confining the body in a case of         
whalebone1 and compressing it at the    
waist like an hour glass2 at another1   
surrounding it with the enormous and    
ungraceful hoop1 till the outline of the
 figure is so altered1 that a person can
 scarcely recognize her own shadow as   
that of a human being4     ,,chapter    
,,vi4  ,,remarks ,,on ,,particular      
,,costumes4   ,we must now offer a few  
brief remarks upon certain costumes     
which appear to us most worthy of our   
attention and study1 for their general  
elegance and adaptation to the figure4  
,of the modern ,greek we have already   
spoken4 ,the style of dress which has   
been immortalized by the pencil of      
,vandyck is considered among the most   
elegant that has ever prevailed in this 

country4 ,it is not1 however1 faultless4
 ,the row of small curls around the     
face1 however becoming to some persons1 
is somewhat formal2 and although the    
general arrangement of the hair1 which  
preserves the natural size and shape of 
the head1 is more graceful than that of 
the time of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 we  
think it would have been more pleasing  
had it left visible the line which      
divides the hair from the forehead4     
,with regard to the dress itself1 it is 
apparent1 in the first place1 that the  
figures are spoiled by stays2 secondly1 
that the dress is cut too low in front2 
and thirdly1 that the large sleeves     
sometimes give too great width in front 
to the shoulders4 ,these defects are1 in
 some degree1 counterbalanced by the    
graceful flow of the ample drapery1 and 
of the large sleeves1 which are         
frequently widest at their lower part1  
and by the gently undulating line which 
unites the waist of the dress with the  
skirt4 ,the ,vandyck dress1 with its    

voluminous folds1 is1 however1 more     
appropriate to the inhabitants of       
palaces1 than to the ordinary occupants 
of this working-day world4 ,the drapery 
is too wide and flowing for convenience4
 ,the annexed cut1 7,fig4 #gc17         
representing ,charlotte de la           
,tremouille1 the celebrated ,countess of
 ,derby1 exhibits some of the defects   
and many of the beauties of the ,vandyck
 dress4  ,lely's half-dressed figures   
may be passed over without comment2 they
 are draped1 not dressed4 ,kneller's are
 more instructive on the subject of     
costume4 ,the dress of ,queen ,anne1    
7,fig4 #gd17 in ,kneller's portrait1 is 
graceful and easy4 ,the costume is a    
kind of transition between the ,vandyck 
and ,reynolds style4 ,the sleeves are   
smaller at the shoulder than in the     
former1 and larger at the lower part    
than in the latter2 in fact1 they       
resemble those now worn by the modern   
,greeks4 ,the dress is cut higher round 
the bust1 and is longer in the waist    

than the ,vandycks1 while the undulating
 line uniting the body and skirt is     
still preserved4 ,while such good       
examples were set by the painters--who  
were not1 however1 the inventors of the 
fashions they painted--it is astonishing
 that these graceful styles of dress    
should have been superseded in real life
 by the lofty head-dresses and          
preposterous fashions which prevailed   
during the same period and long         
afterwards1 and which even the ironical 
and severe remarks of ,addison1 in the  
,spectator1 were unable to banish from  
the circles of fashion4  ,speaking of   
the dresses of ladies during the reigns 
of ,james ,,ii4 and ,william ,,iii41    
,mr4 ,planche1 in his ,history of       
,british ,costumes1 says1 ,the tower or 
commode was still worn1 and the gowns   
and petticoats flounced and furbelowed1 
so that every part of the garment was in
 curl2 and a lady of fashion looked like
 one of those animals1 says the         
,spectator1 which in the country we call

 a ,friesland hen4 ,but in #agaa we find
 ,mr4 ,addison remarking1 ,the whole sex
 is now dwarfed and shrunk into a race  
of beauties that seems almost another   
species4 ,i remember several ladies who 
were once nearly seven foot high1 that  
at present want some inches of five4    
,how they come to be thus curtailed ,i  
cannot learn2 whether the whole sex be  
at present under any penance which we   
know nothing of1 or whether they have   
cast their head-dresses in order to     
surprise us with something in that kind 
which shall be entirely new3 though ,i  
find most are of opinion they are at    
present like trees lopped and pruned1   
that will certainly sprout up and       
flourish with greater heads than before4
  ,the costume of the time of ,sir      
,joshua ,reynolds1 as treated by this   
great artist1 though less splendid1     
appears to us1 with the exception of the
 head-dress1 nearly as graceful1 and far
 more convenient than the ,vandyck      
dress4 ,it is more modest1 more easy1   

and better adapted to show the true form
 of the shoulders1 while the union of   
the body of the dress with the skirt is 
effected in the same graceful manner as 
in the ,vandyck portraits4 ,the         
materials of the drapery in the latter  
are generally silks and satins2 of the  
former1 it is frequently muslin and     
stuff of a soft texture1 which clings   
more closely to the form4 ,that much of 
the elegance of both styles of dress is 
to be attributed to the skill and good  
taste of the painters1 is evident from  
an examination of portraits by          
contemporary artists4 ,much also may be 
ascribed to the taste of the wearer4    
,there are some people who1 though      
habited in the best and richest clothes1
 never appear well dressed2 their       
garments1 rumpled and untidy1 look as if
 they had been pitched on them1 like    
hay1 with a fork2 while others1 whose   
dress consists of the most homely       
materials1 appear well dressed1 from the
 neatness and taste with which their    

clothes are arranged4    ,illustration3 
,pl4 #aj4    ,figure #gc4 ,charlotte de 
la ,tremouille4          #ge4 ,after    
,gainsborough4          #gf4 ,after     
,gainsborough4          #gg4 ,costume of
 ,mrs4 ,bloomer4     ,many of the       
costumes of ,gainsborough's portraits   
are elegant and graceful1 with the      
frequent exception of the extravagant   
head-dress and the high-heeled shoes4   
,the easy and very pleasing figure1     
7,fig4 #ge17 after this accomplished    
artist1 is not exempt from the above    
defects4  ,in our next illustration1    
7,fig4 #gf17 ,gainsborough has not been 
so happy4 ,the lady is almost lost in   
her voluminous and fluttering drapery1  
and the dishevelled hair and the        
enormous hat give to the figure much of 
the appearance of a caricature4         
,leaving now the caprices of fashion1 we
 must notice a class of persons who1    
from a religious motive1 have resisted  
for two hundred years the tyranny of    
fashion1 and1 until recently1 have      

transmitted the same form of dress from 
mother to daughter for nearly the same  
period of years4 ,the ladies of the     
,society of ,friends1 or1 as they are   
usually called1 ,quakers1 are still     
distinguished by the simplicity and     
neatness of their dress--the quiet drabs
 and browns of which frequently contrast
 with the richness of the material--and 
by the absence of all ornament and      
frippery4 ,every part of their dress is 
useful and convenient2 it has neither   
frills1 nor flounces1 nor trimmings to  
carry the dirt and get shabby before the
 dress itself1 nor wide sleeves to dip  
in the plates and lap up the gravy and  
sauces1 nor artificial flowers1 nor bows
 of ribbons4 ,the dress is long enough  
for decency1 but not so long as to sweep
 the streets1 as many dresses and shawls
 are daily seen to do4 ,some few years  
back the ,quaker ladies might have been 
reproached with adhering to the letter1 
while they rejected the spirit1 of their
 code of dress by adhering too literally

 to the costume handed down to them4    
,the crowns of their caps were formerly 
made very high1 and for this reason it  
was necessary that the crowns of their  
bonnets should be high enough to admit  
the cap crown2 hence the peculiarly ugly
 and remarkable form of this part of the
 dress4 ,the crown of the cap has1      
however1 recently been lowered1 and the 
,quaker ladies1 with much good sense1   
have not only modified the form of their
 bonnets1 but have also adopted the     
straw and drawn silk bonnet in their    
most simple forms4 ,in the style of     
their dress1 also1 they occasionally    
approach so near the fashions generally 
worn1 that they are no longer           
distinguishable by the singularity of   
their dress1 but by its simplicity and  
chasteness4  ,we venture now to devote a
 few words to the ,bloomer costume1     
7,fig4 #gg17 although we are aware that 
we are treading on tender ground1       
especially as the costume involves a    
sudden and complete change in the dress4

 ,independently of its merits or        
demerits1 there are several reasons why 
it did not succeed in this country4 ,in 
the first place1 as we have before      
observed1 it originated in ,america1 and
 was attempted to be introduced through 
the middle ranks4 ,in the second place1 
the change which it endeavored to effect
 was too sudden4 ,had the alteration    
commenced with the higher classes1 and  
the change been effected gradually1 its 
success might possibly have been        
different4 ,thirdly1 the large hat1 so  
well adapted to the burning sun of      
,america1 was unnecessary1 and          
remarkable when forming a part of the   
costume of adult ladies in this country1
 although we have seen that hats quite  
as large were worn during the time of   
,gainsborough4 ,another reason for the  
ill success of the ,bloomer costume is  
to be found in the glaring and          
frequently ill-assorted colors of the   
prints of it1 which were every where    
exposed in the shop windows4 ,by many   

sober-minded persons1 the large hat and 
glaring colors were looked upon as      
integral parts of the costume4 ,the     
numerous caricatures also1 and the      
injudicious attempts to make it popular 
by getting up ,bloomer ,balls1          
contributed to render the costume       
ridiculous and unpopular4  ,setting     
aside the hat1 the distinguishing       
characteristics of the costume are the  
short dress1 and a polka jacket fitting 
the body at the throat and shoulders1   
and confined at the waist by a silken   
sash1 and the trousers fastened by a    
band round the ankle1 and finished off  
with a frill4 ,on the score of modesty  
there can be no objection to the dress1 
since the whole of the body is covered4 
,on the ground of convenience it        
recommends itself to those who1 having  
the superintendence of a family1 are    
obliged frequently to go up and down    
stairs1 on which occasions it is always 
necessary to raise the dress before or  
behind1 according to circumstances4 ,the

 objection to the trousers is not to    
this article of dress being worn1 since 
that is a general practice1 but to their
 being seen4 ,yet we suspect few ladies 
would object on this account to appear  
at a fancy ball in the ,turkish costume4
  ,the disadvantages of the dress are   
its novelty--for we seldom like a       
fashion to which we are entirely        
unaccustomed--and the exposure which it 
involves of the foot1 the shape of      
which1 in this country1 is so frequently
 distorted by wearing tight shoes of a  
different shape from the foot4 ,the     
short dress is objectionable in another 
point of view1 because1 as short        
petticoats diminish the apparent height 
of the person1 none but those who       
possess tall and elegant figures will   
look well in this costume2 and          
appearance is generally suffered to     
prevail over utility and convenience4   
,if to the ,bloomer costume had been    
added the long under-dress of the ,greek
 women1 or had the trousers been as full

 as those worn by the ,turkish and ,east
 ,indian women1 the general effect of   
the dress would have been much more     
elegant1 although perhaps less useful4  
,setting aside all considerations of    
fashion1 as we always do in looking at  
the fashions which are gone by1 it was  
impossible for any person to deny that  
the ,bloomer costume was by far the most
 elegant1 the most modest1 and the most 
convenient4     ,,chapter ,,vii4        
,,ornament--,,economy4   ,ornament1     
although not an integral part of dress1 
is so intimately connected with it1 that
 we must devote a few words to the      
subject4  ,under the general term of    
ornament we shall include bows of       
ribbon1 artificial flowers1 feathers1   
jewels1 lace1 fringes1 and trimmings of 
all kinds4 ,some of these articles      
appear to be suited to one period of    
life1 some to another4 ,jewels1 for     
instance1 though suitable for middle    
age1 seem misplaced on youth1 which     
should always be characterized by       

simplicity of apparel2 while flowers1   
which are so peculiarly adapted to      
youth1 are unbecoming to those advanced 
in years2 in the latter case there is   
contrast without harmony2 it is like    
uniting ,may with ,december4  ,the great
 principle to be observed with regard to
 ornament is1 that it should be         
appropriate1 and appear designed to     
answer some useful purpose4 ,a brooch1  
or a bow of ribbon1 for instance1 should
 fasten some part of the dress2 a gold  
chain should support a watch or an      
eyeglass4 ,trimmings are useful to mark 
the borders or edges of the different   
parts of the dress2 and in this light   
they add to the variety1 while by their 
repetition they conduce to the          
regularity of the ornamentation4        
,illustration3 ,pl4 #aa4    ,figure #gh4
 ,from the embroidery on fig4 #dg1 pl4  
#e4          #gi4 ,from the sleeve of   
the same dress1 above4          #hj4    
,from the sleeve of the pelisse4        
#ha4 ,the pattern embroidered from the  

waist to the skirt                of the
 dress1 fig4 #ea1 pl4 #e4          #hb4 
,the border of the shawl1 fig4 #ea4     
#hc4 ,sleeve of the same1 figure #ea4   
#hd4 ,design on the apron1 fig4 #dh1 pl4
 #e4          #he4 ,from the border of  
the same dress1 fig4 #dh4     ,ornament 
is so much a matter of fashion1 that    
beyond the above remarks it scarcely    
comes within the scope of our subject4  
,there is one point1 however1 to which  
the present encouragement of works of   
design induces us to draw the attention 
of our readers4 ,we have already        
borrowed from the beautiful work of ,m4 
de ,stackelberg1 some of the female     
figures in illustration of our views    
with regard to dress2 we have now to    
call the attention of our readers to the
 patterns embroidered on the dresses4   
,these are mostly of classic origin1 and
 prove that the descendants of the      
,greeks have still sufficient good taste
 to appreciate and adopt the designs of 
their glorious ancestors4 ,the figures  

in the plates being too small to show   
the patterns1 we have enlarged some of  
them from the original work1 in order to
 show the style of design still         
cultivated among the peasants of        
,greece1 and also because we think the  
designs may be applied to other         
materials besides dress4 ,some of them  
appear not inappropriate to iron work4  
,when will our people be able to show   
designs of such elegance8 ,fig4 #gh is  
an enlarged copy of the embroidery on   
the robe of the peasant from the        
environs of ,athens1 7,fig4 #dg47 ,it   
extends1 as will be seen1 half way up   
the skirt4 ,fig4 #gi is from the sleeve 
of the same dress4 ,fig4 #hj is the     
pattern embroidered on the sleeve of the
 pelisse4 ,fig4 #ha is the pattern from 
the waist to the hem of the skirt of an 
,athenian peasant's dress1 7,fig4 #ea47 
,fig4 #hb is the border to the shawl2   
,fig4 #hc1 the sleeve of the            
last-mentioned dress2 ,fig4 #hd1 the    
design on the apron of the ,arcadian    

peasant1 7,fig4 #dh47 ,fig4 #he is the  
border of the same dress4 ,fig4 #hf is  
the pattern round the hem of the long   
under-dress of the ,athenian peasant1   
7,fig4 #ea27 ,fig4 #hg1 the border of a 
shawl1 or something of the kind4 ,fig4  
#hh is another example4 ,the brocade    
dress of ,sancta ,victoria 7,fig4 #fd7  
offers a striking contrast to the simple
 elegance of the ,greek designs4 ,it is 
too large for the purpose to which it is
 employed1 and not sufficiently         
distinct2 and1 although it possesses    
much variety1 it is deficient in        
regularity2 and one of the elements of  
beauty in ornamental design1 namely1    
repetition1 appears to be entirely      
wanting4 ,in these respects1 the        
superiority of the ,greek designs is    
immediately apparent4 ,they unite at    
once symmetry with regularity1 and      
variety with repetition4                
,illustration3 ,pl4 #ab4    ,figure #hf4
 ,pattern round the hem of the long     
under dress1                fig4 #ea1   

pl4 #e4      #hg1 #hh4 ,borders of      
shawls4          #hi4 ,infant's dress1  
exhibited at the ,world's ,fair in      
,london4      #ij1 #ia4 ,from ,le       
,moniteur de la ,mode1 by ,jules ,david 
and                ,reville1 published  
at ,paris1 ,london1 ,new ,york1         
and ,st4 ,petersburg4     ,the          
examination of these designs suggests   
the reflection that when we have once   
attained a form of dress which combines 
ease and elegance with convenience1 we  
should tax our ingenuity in inventing   
ornamental designs for decorating it1   
rather than seek to discover novel forms
 of dress4  ,the endless variety of     
textile fabrics which our manufacturers 
are constantly producing1 the variety1  
also1 in the colors1 will1 with the     
embroidery patterns issued by our       
schools of design1 suffice to appease   
the constant demand for novelty1 which  
exists in an improving country1 without 
changing the form of our costume1 unless
 to adopt others which reason and common

 sense point out as superior to that in 
use4 ,we are told to try all things1 and
 to hold fast to that which is good4    
,the maxim is applicable to dress as    
well as to morals4  ,the subject of     
economy in dress1 an essential object   
with many persons1 now claims our       
attention4 ,we venture to offer a few   
remarks on this head4 ,our first        
recommendation is to have but few       
dresses at a time1 and those extremely  
good4 ,if we have but few dresses1 we   
wear them1 and wear them out while they 
are in fashion2 but if we have many     
dresses at once1 some of them become    
quite old-fashioned before we have done 
with them4 ,if we are rich enough to    
afford the sacrifice1 the old-fashioned 
dress is got rid of2 if not1 we must be 
content to appear in a fashion that has 
long been superseded2 and we look as if 
we had come out of the tombs1 or as if  
one of our ancestors had stepped out of 
her picture frame1 and again walked the 
earth4  ,as to the economy of selecting 

the best materials for dresses1 we argue
 thus3 ,every dress must be lined and   
made up1 and we pay as much for making  
and lining an inferior article1 as we do
 for one of the best quality4 ,now1 a   
good silk or merino will wear out two   
bad ones2 therefore1 one good dress1    
lining and making1 will cost less than  
two inferior ones1 with the expenses of 
lining and making them4 ,in point of    
appearance1 also1 there is no comparison
 between the two2 the good dress will   
look well to the last1 while one of     
inferior quality will soon look shabby4 
,when a good silk dress has become too  
shabby to be worn longer as a dress1 it 
becomes1 when cut up1 useful for a      
variety of purposes2 whereas an inferior
 silk1 or one purely ornamental1 is1    
when left off1 good for nothing4  ,plain
 dresses1 that is to say1 those of a    
single color1 and without a pattern1 are
 more economical as well as more quiet  
in their appearance than those of       
various colors4 ,they are also generally

 less expensive1 because something is   
always paid for the novelty of the      
fashion2 besides1 colored and figured   
dresses bear the date on the face of    
them1 as plainly as if it was there in  
printed characters4 ,the ages of dress  
fabrics are known by the pattern2       
therefore dresses of this description   
should be put on as soon as purchased1  
and worn out at once1 or they will      
appear old-fashioned4 ,there is another 
reason why vari-colored dresses are less
 economical than others4 ,where there   
are several colors1 they may not all be 
equally fast1 and if only one of them   
fades the dress will lose its beauty4   
,trimmings are not economical2 besides  
their cost in the first instance1 they  
become shabby before the dress1 and if  
removed1 they generally leave a mark    
where they have been1 and so spoil the  
appearance of the dress4  ,dresses made 
of one kind of material only1 are more  
durable than those composed of two2 as1 
for instance1 of cotton and silk1 of    

cotton and worsted1 or of silk and      
worsted4 ,when the silk is merely thrown
 on the face of the material1 it soon   
wears off4 ,this is also the case in    
those woollen or cotton goods which have
 a silken stripe4  ,the question of     
economy also extends to colors1 some of 
which are much more durable than others4
 ,for this we can give no rule1 except  
that drabs and other ,quaker colors1 as 
they are frequently called1 are amongst 
the most permanent of all colors4 ,for  
other colors we must take the word of   
the draper4 ,there is no doubt1 however1
 but that the most durable colors are   
the cheapest in the end4 ,in the        
selection of colors1 the expense is not 
always a criterion2 something must be   
paid for fashion and novelty1 and       
perhaps for the cost of the dye4 ,the   
newest and most expensive colors are not
 always those which last the longest4   
,it is not economical to have the       
dresses made in the extremity of the    
fashion1 because such soon become       

remarkable2 but the fashions should be  
followed at such a distance1 that the   
wearer may not attract the epithet of   
old-fashioned4  ,we conclude this part  
of our subject with a few suggestions   
relative to the selection of different  
styles and materials of dress4  ,the    
style of dress should be adapted to the 
age of the wearer4 ,as a general rule1  
we should say that in youth the dress   
should be simple and elegant1 the       
ornaments being flowers4 ,in middle age1
 the dress may be of rich materials1 and
 more splendid in its character2 jewels 
are the appropriate ornaments4 ,in the  
decline of life1 the materials of which 
the dress is composed may be equally    
rich1 but with less vivacious colors3   
the tertiaries and broken colors are    
particularly suitable1 and the character
 of the whole costume should be quiet1  
simple1 and dignified4 ,the ,french1    
whose taste in dress is so far in       
advance of our own1 say1 that ladies who
 are cinquante ans sonnes1 should       

neither wear gay colors1 nor dresses of 
slight materials1 flowers1 feathers1 or 
much jewelry2 that they should cover    
their hair1 wear high dresses and long  
sleeves4  ,tall ladies may wear flounces
 and tucks1 but they are less           
appropriate for short persons4 ,as a    
general rule1 vertical stripes make     
persons appear taller than they really  
are1 but horizontal stripes have a      
contrary effect4 ,the latter1 ,mr4      
,redgrave says1 are not admissible in   
garment fabrics1 since1 crossing the    
person1 the pattern quarrels with all   
the motions of the human figure1 as well
 as with the form of the long folds in  
the skirts of the garment4 ,for this    
reason1 he continues1 large and         
pronounced checks1 however fashionable1 
are often in bad taste1 and interfere   
with the graceful arrangement of the    
drapery4 ,is it to show their entire    
contempt for the principles of design   
that our manufacturers introduced last  
year not only horizontal stripes of     

conspicuous colors1 but checks and      
plaids of immense size1 as autumnal     
fashions for dress fabrics8 ,we had     
hoped that the ladies would have shown  
the correctness of their taste by their 
disapproval of these unbecoming designs1
 but the prevalence of the fashion at   
the present time is another evidence of 
the triumph of fashion over good taste4 
,a white and light-colored dress makes  
the wearers appear larger1 while a black
 or dark dress causes them to appear    
smaller than they actually are4 ,a      
judicious person will1 therefore1 avail 
herself of these known effects1 by      
adopting the style of dress most        
suitable to her stature4  ,to sum up1 in
 a few words1 our impressions on this   
subject1 we should say that the best    
style of dress is that which1 being     
exactly adapted to the climate and the  
individual1 is at once modest1 quiet1   
and retiring1 harmonious in color and   
decoration1 and of good materials4  ,we 
conclude with the following admirable   

extract from ,tobin's ,honeymoon1 which 
we earnestly recommend to the attention 
of our fair readers4      ,i'll have no 
glittering gewgaws stuck about you      
,to stretch the gaping eyes of idiot    
wonder1     ,and make men stare upon a  
piece of earth1     ,as on the          
star-wrought firmament--no feathers1    
,to wave as streamers to your vanity2   
,nor cumbrous silk1 that with its       
rustling sound     ,makes proud the     
flesh that bears it4 ,she's adorned     
,amply1 that in her husband's eye looks 
lovely--     ,the truest mirror that an 
honest wife     ,can see her beauty in6 
,julia4 ,i shall observe1 sir4          
,duke4 ,i should like well to see you in
 the dress ,i last presented            
you4      ,julia4 ,the blue one1 sir8   
,duke4 ,no1 love1--the white4 ,thus     
modestly attired1     ,a half-blown rose
 stuck in thy braided hair1     ,with no
 more diamonds than those eyes are made 
of1     ,no deeper rubies than compose  
thy lips1     ,nor pearls more precious 

than inhabit them1     ,with the pure   
red and white1 which that same hand     
,which blends the rainbow1 mingles in   
thy cheeks2     ,this well-proportioned 
form 7think not ,i flatter7     ,in     
graceful motion to harmonious sounds1   
,and thy free tresses dancing in the    
wind1     ,thou'lt fix as much          
observance1 as chaste dames     ,can    
meet without a blush4  ,we look forward 
hopefully to a day when art-education   
will be extended to all ranks2 when a   
knowledge of the beautiful will be added
 to that of the useful2 when good taste1
 based upon real knowledge and common   
sense1 will dictate our fashions in     
dress as in other things4 ,we have      
schools of art to reform our taste in   
pottery1 hardware1 and textile fabrics1 
not to speak of the higher walks of art1
 painting1 sculpture1 and architecture4 
,the handle of a jug1 the stem of a wine
 glass1 the design for dress silks or   
lace veils1 will form the subjects of   
lectures to the students of the various 

schools of design2 disquisitions are    
written on the important question       
whether the ornamental designs should   
represent the real form of objects1 or  
only give a conventional representation 
of them2 while the study of the human   
figure1 the masterpiece of creation1 is 
totally neglected1 except by painters   
and sculptors4 ,we hope that the study  
of form will be more extended1 that it  
will be universal1 that it will1 in     
fact1 enter into the general scheme of  
education1 and that we shall hereafter  
see as much pains bestowed in improving 
by appropriate costume the figure which 
nature has given us1 as we do now in    
distorting it by tight stays1 narrow and
 high-heeled shoes1 and all the other   
deformities and eccentricities of that  
many-faced monster1 fashion4 ,the       
economy of the frame1 and the means of  
preserving it in health and beauty1     
should form an integral part of         
education4 ,there can be no true beauty 
without health2 and how can we hope to  

secure health if we are ignorant of the 
means of promoting it1 or if we violate 
its precepts by adopting absurd and     
pernicious fashions8 ,surely it is not  
too much to hope that dressmakers will  
hereafter attend the schools of design1 
to study the human form1 and thence     
learn to appreciate its beauties1 and to
 clothe it with appropriate dress1      
calculated to display its beauties to   
the greatest advantage1 and to conceal  
its defects--the latter with the        
reservation we have already noticed4 ,we
 hope1 also1 that the shoemaker will    
learn to model the shoe upon the true   
form of the foot4  ,manufacturers are   
now convinced of the importance and     
utility of schools of design2 and       
whether the article hereafter to be     
produced be a cup and saucer1 a fender1 
a pattern for a dress1 or for furniture1
 for a service of plate or a diamond    
tiara1 it is thought proper that the    
pupil1 as a preliminary course that     
cannot be dispensed with1 should        

commence with the study of the human    
figure4 ,yet is not dress an            
art-manufacture as well as a cup and    
saucer1 or a teaboard8 ,is there less   
skill and talent1 less taste required to
 clothe the form which we are told is   
made after ,god's own image1 than to    
furnish an apartment8 ,why should not   
dressmakers and tailors attend the      
schools of design1 as well as those     
artisans who are intended to be employed
 in what are called art-manufactures8   
,why should not shoemakers be taught the
 shape and movements of the foot8 ,if   
this were the case1 we are satisfied    
that an immediate and permanent         
improvement would be the consequence in 
our style of dress4 ,would any person   
acquainted with the human form1 and     
especially with the little round form of
 an infant1 have sent to the ,great     
,exhibition an infant's robe shaped like
 that in our cut4 ,fig4 #hi4 ,an infant 
with a waist growing fine by degrees and
 beautifully less6--was there ever such 

a deformity8 ,we believe that many      
portrait painters stipulate that they   
should be allowed to dictate the dress1 
at least as regards the arrangement of  
the colors1 of their sitters2 the reason
 of this is1 that the painter's         
selection of dress and color is based   
upon the study of the figure and        
complexion of the individual1 or the    
knowledge of the effects of contrast and
 harmony of lines1 tissues1 and colors1 
while the models which are presented for
 his imitation too frequently offer to  
his view a style of dress1 both as      
regards form and color1 which set the   
rules of harmony at defiance4 ,now1 only
 suppose that the dressmaker had the    
painter's knowledge of form and harmony 
of lines and colors1 what a revolution  
would take place in dress8 ,we should no
 longer see the tall and the short1 the 
slender and the stout1 the brown and the
 fair1 the old and the young1 dressed   
alike1 but the dress would be adapted to
 the individual2 and we believe that1   

were the plan of study we recommend     
generally adopted1 this purpose might   
always be effected without the sacrifice
 of what is now the grand desideratum in
 dress--novelty4  ,the reasons why the  
art of dressmaking has not hitherto     
received the attention which it         
deserves1 are to be sought for in the   
constitution of society4 ,the branches  
of manufacture which require a knowledge
 of design1 such as calico printing1    
silk and ribbon weaving1 porcelain and  
pottery1 and hardware manufactures1 are 
conducted on a large scale by men of    
wealth and talent1 who1 if they would   
compete successfully with rival         
manufacturers1 find it necessary to     
study and apply to their own business   
all the improvements in science1 with   
which their intercourse with society    
gives them an opportunity of becoming   
acquainted4 ,it is quite otherwise with 
dressmaking4 ,a woman is at the head of 
every establishment of this kind1 a     
woman generally of limited education and

 attainments1 from whom cannot be       
expected either liberality of sentiment 
or enlarged views1 but who possibly     
possesses some tact and discrimination  
of character1 which enables her to      
exercise a kind of dictatorial power in 
matters of dress over her customers2    
these customers are scarcely better     
informed on the subject than herself4   
,the early life of the dressmaker is    
spent in a daily routine of labor with  
the needle1 and when she becomes a      
mistress in her turn1 she exacts from   
her assistants the same amount of daily 
labor that was formerly expected from   
herself4 ,work1 work1 work with the     
needle from almost childhood1 in the    
same close room from morning to night1  
and not unfrequently from night to      
morning also1 is the everlasting routine
 of the monotonous life of the          
dressmakers4 ,they are working for      
bread1 and have no leisure to attend to 
the improvement of the mind1 and the    
want of this mental cultivation is      

apparent in the articles they produce by
 their labor4 ,when one of the young    
women who attends these establishments  
to learn the trade1 thinks she has had  
sufficient experience1 she leaves the   
large establishment1 and sets up in     
business on her own account4 ,in this   
new situation she works equally hard1   
and has1 therefore1 no time for         
improving her mind or taste4 ,of the    
want of this1 however1 she is not       
sensible1 because she can purchase for a
 trifle all the newest patterns1 and the
 thought never enters her poor little   
head1 that the same fashion may not suit
 all her customers4 ,this defective     
education of the dressmakers1 or rather 
their want of knowledge of the human    
form1 is one of the great causes of the 
prevalence of the old fashion of tight  
lacing2 it is so much easier to make a  
closely-fitting body suit over a tight  
stay than it is on the pliant and       
yielding natural form1 in which1 if one 
part be drawn a little too tight1 or the

 contrary1 the body of the dress is     
thrown out of shape4 ,supposing1 on the 
other hand1 the fit to be exact1 it is  
so difficult to keep such a             
tight-fitting body in its place on the  
figure without securing its form by     
whalebones1 that it is in vain to expect
 the stays to become obsolete until the 
tight-fitting bodice is also given up4  
,this will never take place until not   
only the ladies who are to be clothed1  
but the dressmakers1 shall make the     
human form their study1 and direct their
 efforts to set off their natural       
advantages by attending to the points   
which are their characteristic beauties4
 ,a long and delicate throat1 falling   
shoulders1 not too wide from point to   
point1 a flat back1 round chest1 wide   
hips--these are the points which should 
be developed by the dress4 ,whence it   
follows1 that every article of dress    
which shortens the throat1 adds height  
or width to the shoulders1 roundness to 
the back1 or flatness to the chest1 must

 be radically wrong in principle1 and   
unpleasant and repulsive in effect4 ,in 
the same manner1 whatever kind of dress 
adds to the height of a figure already  
too tall and thin1 or detracts from the 
apparent height of the short and stout1 
must be avoided4 ,these things should   
form the study of the dressmaker4  ,as  
society is now constituted1 however1 the
 dressmaker has not1 as we have already 
observed1 leisure to devote to studies  
of the necessity and importance of which
 she is still ignorant4 ,the reform must
 be begun by the ladies themselves4     
,they must acquire a knowledge of form1 
and of the principles of beauty and     
harmony1 and so exercise a controlling  
influence over the dressmakers4 ,by this
 means1 a better taste will be created1 
and the dressmakers will at length      
discover their deficiency in certain    
guiding principles1 and will be driven  
at last to resort to similar studies4   
,but in this case a startling difficulty
 presents itself--the poor dressmaker is

 at present over-worked3 how can she    
find leisure to attend the schools of   
design1 or even pursue1 if she had the  
ability1 the necessary studies at home8 
,a girl is apprenticed to the trade at  
the age of thirteen or fourteen2 she    
works at it all her life1 rising early1 
and late taking rest2 and what is the   
remuneration of her daily toil of twelve
 hours8 ,eighteen pence1 or at most two 
shillings a day1 with her board6#c ,as  
she reckons the value of the latter at a
 shilling1 it follows1 that the earnings
 of a dressmaker1 in the best period of 
her life1 who goes out to work1 could   
not exceed fifteen shillings1 or1 at the
 most1 eighteen shillings a week1 if she
 did not--at the hazard of her health1  
which1 indeed1 is frequently            
sacrificed--work at home before she     
begins1 and after she has finished1 her 
day's work abroad4 ,the carpenter or    
house painter does not work harder1 or  
bring to bear on his employment greater 
knowledge1 than the poor dressmaker2 yet

 he has four shillings sixpence a day1  
without his board1 while she has only   
what is equivalent to two shillings     
sixpence1 or three shillings4 ,what     
reason can be assigned why a woman's    
work1 if equally well done1 should not  
be as well paid as that of a man8 ,a    
satisfactory reason has yet to be given2
 the fact1 however1 is indisputable1    
that women are not in general so well   
paid for their labor as men4    #c ,of  
course it will be understood that these 
are the ,english   prices2 but does not 
the comparison hold good between male   
and   female labor in this country8     
,although these remarks arose naturally 
out of our subject1 we must not digress 
too far4 ,to return to the dressmaker4  
,if the hours of labor of these white   
slaves who toil in the dressmaking      
establishments were limited to ten or   
twelve hours1 as in large factories1 two
 consequences would follow3 the first   
is1 that more hands would be employed1  
and the second1 that the young women    

would have time to attend schools1 and  
improve their minds4 ,if they could also
 attend occasional lectures on the      
figure1 and on the harmony of color and 
costume with reference to dress1 the    
best effects would follow4  ,those      
dressmakers who are rich enough1 and1 we
 may add1 many ladies also1 take in some
 book of fashions with colored          
illustrations1 and from this they imbibe
 their notions of beauty of form and    
elegance of costume4 ,how is it         
possible1 we would ask1 for either the  
dressmaker or the ladies who employ them
 to acquire just ideas of form1 or of   
suitable costume1 when their eyes are   
accustomed only to behold such deformed 
and unnatural representations of the    
human figure as those in the            
accompanying plates8 ,figs4 #ij and #ia4
 ,is it any wonder that small waists    
should be admired1 when the books which 
aspire to be the handmaids and mirrors  
of fashion present to their readers such
 libels on beauty of form8 ,now1 suppose

 that lithographed drawings of costumes 
issued occasionally from the schools of 
design1 is it not reasonable to suppose 
that1 with the knowledge which the      
students have acquired of the human     
figure1 the illustrations would be more 
accurate imitations of nature8 ,an eye  
accustomed to the study of nature can   
scarcely bear to contemplate1 much less 
to imitate1 the monsters of a depraved  
taste which disgrace the different      
publications that aspire to make known  
the newest fashions4 ,many of the       
illustrations of these publications1    
although ill proportioned1 are executed 
in a certain stylish manner which takes 
with the uneducated1 and the mechanical 
execution of the figures is also good4  
,this1 however1 is so far from being an 
advantage1 that it only renders them the
 more dangerous2 like the song of the   
siren1 they lead only to evil4  ,we are 
told that many of the first ,parisian   
artists derive a considerable part of   
their income from drawing the figures in

 the ,french books of fashion and       
costume1 and that1 in the early part of 
his career1 ,horace ,vernet1 the        
president of the ,french ,academy1 did  
not disdain to employ his talents in    
this way4 ,we cannot1 however1 refrain  
from expressing our surprise and honest 
indignation that artists of eminence1   
especially those who1 like the ,french  
school1 have a reputation for correct   
drawing1 and who must1 therefore1 be so 
well acquainted with the actual as well 
as ideal proportions of the female      
figure1 should so prostitute their      
talents as to employ them in delineating
 the ill-proportioned figures which     
appear in books of fashions4 ,it is no  
small aggravation of their offence1 in  
our eyes1 that the figures should be    
drawn in such graceful positions1 and   
with the exception of the defective     
proportions1 with so much skill4 ,these 
beauties only make them more dangerous2 
the goodness of their execution misleads
 the unfortunate victims of their       

fascination4 ,what young lady1          
unacquainted with the proportions of the
 figure1 could look on these prints of  
costumes and go away without the belief 
that a small waist and foot were        
essential elements of beauty8 ,so she   
goes home from her dressmaker's1 looks  
in the glass1 and not finding her own   
waist and foot as small as those in the 
books of fashion1 gives her stay-lace an
 extra tightening pull1 and1 regardless 
of corns1 squeezes her feet into tight  
shoes1 which makes the instep appear    
swollen4 ,both the figures in our last  
plates were originally drawn and        
engraved by ,jules ,david1 and ,reville1
 in ,le ,moniteur de la ,mode1 which is 
published at ,paris1 ,london1 ,new      
,york1 and ,st4 ,petersburg4 ,let our   
readers look at these figures1 and say  
whether the most determined votary of   
tight lacing ever succeeded in          
compressing her waist into the          
proportions represented in these        
figures4  ,we should like to hear that  

lectures were given occasionally1 by a  
lady in the female school of design1 on 
the subjects of form1 and of dress in   
its adaptation to form and to harmony of
 color4 ,we have no doubt that a lady   
competent to deliver these lectures will
 readily be found4 ,after a course of   
these lectures1 we do not hesitate to   
predict that illustrations of fashion   
emanating from this source would be1 in 
point of taste1 every thing that could  
be desired4 ,we venture to think that   
the students of the female school may be
 as well and as profitably employed in  
designing costumes1 as in inventing     
patterns for cups and saucers or borders
 for veils4 ,until some course1 of the  
nature we have indicated1 is adopted1 we
 cannot hope for any permanent          
improvement in our costume4             
,,chapter ,,viii4  ,,some ,,thoughts    
,,on ,,children',s ,,dress4  ,,by ,,mrs4
 ,,merrifield4   ,can any good and      
sufficient reason be given1 said a      
friend1 as we were contemplating the    

happy faces and lively gestures of a    
party of boys and girls1 who1 one cold1 
frosty evening1 were playing at the old 
game called ,i sent a letter to my love1
 why1 when one of the party picks up the
 ball which another has thrown down1 the
 boys always stoop1 while the girls     
7with the exception of one little rosy  
girl1 who is active and supple as the   
boys7 invariably drop on one knee8 ,at  
first we almost fancied this must be a  
new way of playing the game2 but when   
one of the seniors threw a handful of   
bonbons among the children1 and in their
 eager scramble to pick up the tempting 
sweets we observed the same respective  
actions1 namely1 that the boys stooped1 
while the girls knelt on one knee1 we   
began to meditate on the cause of this  
diversity of action4 ,a little more     
observation convinced us that the girls1
 though equally lively1 were less free  
in their movement than the boys4 ,we    
observed1 also1 that every now and then 
some of the girls stopped and hitched   

their clothes1 7which appeared almost in
 danger of falling off17 with an awkward
 movement1 first upon one shoulder1 and 
then on the other1 while others jerked  
one shoulder upwards1 which caused the  
sleeve on that side to sink nearly to   
the elbow4 ,now1 we exclaimed1 we can   
solve the problem3 the different actions
 are caused by the difference in the    
dress2 let us see where the difference  
lies4 ,so we continued our observations1
 and soon found that the boys were all  
dressed in high dresses up to the       
throat1 while the bands which encircled 
their waists were so loose as merely to 
keep the dress in its place without     
confining it2 in short1 that their dress
 did not offer the slightest restraint  
on their freedom of movement4 ,it was   
otherwise with the girls1 excepting the 
little rosy girl before mentioned3 they 
were dressed in low dresses1 and their  
shoulders were so bare that we          
involuntarily thought of a caterpillar  
casting its skin1 and began to fear1    

from the uneasy movement of their       
shoulders1 that the same thing might    
happen to the children1 when we observed
 that this was rendered impossible by   
the tightness of the clothes about the  
waist4 ,the mystery was now cleared up2 
the tightness of the dress at the waist1
 while it prevented the children from   
slipping shell1 as it were1 entirely    
destroyed their freedom of movement4 ,we
 could not help contrasting these poor  
girls--dressed in the very pink of      
fashion1 with their bare shoulders1     
compressed waists1 and delicate         
appearance--with the rosy face1 quick   
and active movement1 and thick waist of 
the little girl before alluded to2 and  
we sighed as we thought that1 induced by
 the culpable folly or ignorance of     
parents1                      ,pale     
decay     ,would steal before the steps 
of time1     ,and snatch 'their' bloom  
away4  ,whence does it arise1 continued 
my friend1 that the boys are clad in    
warm dresses1 suited to the season1     

their chests and arms protected from the
 wintry air1 and their feet incased in  
woollen stockings1 while the girls are  
suffered to shiver at ,christmas in     
muslin dresses1 with bare necks and     
arms1 and silk or thin cotton stockings8
 ,are they less susceptible of cold than
 boys8 ,is their circulation less       
languid1 that their clothes are so much 
thinner8 ,are their figures better1     
their health stronger1 for the          
compression of their tender bodies by   
stays8 ,at this point our cogitations   
were stopped by a summons to supper2 and
 after supper1 hats and shawls were     
produced1 and we took our leave4 ,our   
young companions1 fatigued with their   
exertions1 soon fell asleep in the      
corners of the carriage1 and we were    
left to our own meditations4 ,our       
thoughts once more reverted to the      
subject of children's dress1 and        
gradually assumed the following form3-- 
,the subject of dress1 which is so      
important both to our health and        

comfort1 is usually treated as a matter 
of fashion1 and is regulated partly by  
individual fancy1 partly by the dictates
 of the modiste4 ,fashion1 as it applies
 to the costume of men1 is1 with the    
exception of the hat1 controlled by     
convenience and common sense2 but with  
regard to the dress of women and        
children1 neither of these              
considerations has any weight4 ,the most
 extravagant and bizarre arrangements of
 form and colors will meet with admirers
 and imitators1 provided they emanate   
from a fashionable source4 ,the dress of
 children1 especially1 appears to be    
exceedingly fantastic in its character1 
and1 with regard to that of girls1 is   
ill adapted to secure the enjoyment of  
health and the perfect development of   
the figure4 ,we venture to offer a few  
remarks on this highly interesting      
theme4  ,in discussing the subject of   
children's dress1 several points present
 themselves for our consideration1      
namely1 first1 the adaptation of the    

costume to the climate1 the movements1  
and healthful development of the figure2
 and secondly1 the general elegance of  
the habiliments1 the harmony of the     
colors1 and their special adaptation to 
the age and individual characteristics  
of children4 ,the first are essential   
conditions2 the latter1 though too      
frequently treated as the most          
important1 may1 in comparison with the  
first1 be deemed non-essentials4 ,we    
shall remark on these subjects in the   
before-mentioned order4  ,with regard to
 the adaptation of the dress of children
 to the climate1 this appears so evident
 that any observations upon it might be 
deemed almost unnecessary2 yet1 in      
practice1 how little is it understood6  
,the great object in view in regulating 
the warmth of the clothing1 is to guard 
the wearer from the vicissitudes of the 
climate1 and to equalize the            
circulation1 which is accelerated by    
heat and retarded by cold4 ,children are
 habitually full of activity1 which     

quickens the circulation and produces a 
determination to the skin2 in other     
words1 causes some degree of            
perspiration1 and if this1 perspiration 
be suddenly checked by the application  
of cold1 illness in some shape or other 
is induced4 ,in order to lessen this    
risk1 the clothing should be light and  
warm2 sufficiently warm to shield the   
child from the effects of cold1 but not 
to elevate greatly the temperature of   
the body4 ,the latter would only render 
the child more susceptible of cold4     
,children are1 by some over-careful but 
not judicious parents1 so burdened with 
clothes that one is surprised to find   
they can move under the vast            
encumbrance4  ,there is much diversity  
of opinion among medical men as to the  
propriety of wearing flannel next to the
 skin4 ,the arguments appear to be in   
favor of the practice1 provided that the
 thickness of the flannel be            
proportioned to the seasons of the year4
 ,in winter it should be thick2 in      

summer it can scarcely be too thin4     
,flannel is preferable to linen or      
calico1 because1 although it may be     
saturated with perspiration1 it never   
strikes cold to the skin2 whereas linen1
 under similar circumstances1 always    
does1 and the sudden application of cold
 to the skin1 when warmed by exercise1  
checks the circulation1 and causes      
illness4  ,parents are frequently guilty
 of much inconsistency in the clothing  
of their children4 ,the child1 perhaps1 
has delicate lungs2 it must1 therefore1 
have warm clothing2 so garment after    
garment1 made fashionably1 that is to   
say1 very full and very short1 is heaped
 one upon the other over the chest and  
upper part of the body1 until the poor  
child can scarcely move under the heavy 
burden with which1 with mistaken        
kindness1 it has been laden1 while the  
lower limbs1 in which the circulation is
 most languid1 and which require to be  
protected as well as the chest1 are     
frequently exposed to the air1 and the  

foot is covered with a shoe which is too
 thin to keep it dry4 ,the consequence  
of this arrangement is1 that the child1 
oppressed by the weight of its clothing1
 becomes overheated1 and being cooled   
too hastily1 catches severe colds4  ,the
 habiliments of children cannot be too  
light in weight2 and this is perfectly  
consistent with a proper degree of      
warmth4 ,those parents are greatly to   
blame who1 influenced only by           
appearance1 and the wish to dress their 
children fashionably1 add to the weight 
of their clothing by introducing so much
 unnecessary fulness into the skirts4   
,the next point for consideration1 and  
which is not inferior in importance to  
the last1 is the adaptation of the dress
 to the movements and healthful         
development of the figure2 and1 strange 
to say1 this point is almost entirely   
overlooked by those who have the        
management and control of children1     
although a few honest and sensible      
medical men have raised their warning   

voices against the system now pursued4  
,we hear every where of the march of    
intellect2 we are perpetually told that 
the schoolmaster is abroad2 lessons and 
masters of all kinds are endeavoring    
,to teach the young idea how to shoot2  
while the little delicate frame which is
 to bear all this mental labor is left  
to the ignorance of mothers and nurses1 
and the tender mercies of the           
dressmaker1 who seems to think that the 
human frame is as easily moulded into an
 imitation of those libels on humanity  
represented in books of fashionable     
costume as the materials with which she 
works4 ,would that we had powers of     
persuasion to convince our readers how  
greatly these figures1 with their       
excessively-small waists1 hands and     
feet1 deviate from the actual           
proportions of well-formed women6       
,unfortunately1 the pinched waist is too
 common in real life for those          
unacquainted with the proportions of the
 figure not to think it one of the      

essential elements of beauty4 ,so far1  
however1 from being a beauty1 a small   
waist is an actual blemish4 ,never1     
until the economy of the human frame is 
studied by all classes1 and a knowledge 
of the principles on which its beauties 
depend is disseminated among all ranks1 
can we hope that just ideas will be     
entertained on this subject4  ,if there 
is one thing in which the schoolmaster  
or the reformer is more wanted than in  
another1 it is in our dress4 ,from our  
birth to our death we are the slaves of 
fashion1 of prejudice1 and of           
circumstances4 ,the tender1 unresisting 
infant1 the delicate girl1 the mature   
woman1 alike suffer from these evil     
influences2 some fall victims to them1  
others suffer during life4 ,let us      
consider the dress of an infant4 ,here1 
however1 it must be acknowledged that of
 late years much improvement has taken  
place in some respects1 although much   
still remains to be done4 ,caps1 with   
their trimming of three or four rows of 

lace1 and large cockades which rivalled 
in size the dear little round face of   
the child1 are discontinued almost      
entirely within doors1 though the poor  
child is still almost overwhelmed with  
cap1 hat1 and feathers1 in its daily    
airings1 the additional weight which its
 poor neck has to sustain never once    
entering into the calculation of its    
mother and nurse4 ,fine feathers1 it is 
said1 make fine birds4 ,this may be true
 with respect to the feathered creation1
 but it is not so with regard to        
children4 ,they suffer from the         
misplaced finery1 and from the undue    
heat of the head4 ,and yet the head has1
 generally speaking1 been better treated
 by us than the rest of the body4 ,when 
we look back upon the history of        
costume1 it really seems as if men--or  
women1 shall we say8--had exercised     
their ingenuity in torturing the human  
frame1 and destroying its health and    
vigor4  ,the ,american ,indian          
compresses the tender skull of the      

infant1 and binds its little body on to 
a flat board2 the ,chinese squeezes the 
feet of the females2 the ,italian       
peasants1 following the custom of the   
,orientals1 still roll the infant in    
swathing bands2 the little legs of the  
child1 that when left to its own        
disposal are in perpetual motion1 now   
curled up to the body1 then thrust out  
their extreme length1 to the evident    
enjoyment of their owner1 are extended  
in a straight line1 laid side by side1  
and bandaged together1 so that the      
infant reminds one in shape of a mummy4 
,in this highly cultivated country we   
are guilty towards our infants of       
practices quite as senseless1 as cruel1 
and as contrary to nature4 ,the         
movements of the lower limbs1 so        
essential to the healthy growth of the  
child1 are limited and restrained1 if   
not altogether prevented1 by the great  
weight that we hang upon them4 ,the long
 petticoats1 in which every infant in   
this country has been for centuries     

doomed to pass many months of its       
existence1 are as absurd as they are    
prejudicial to the child4 ,the evil has 
of late years rather increased than     
diminished1 for the clothes are not only
 made much longer1 but much fuller1 so  
that the poor victim has an additional  
weight to bear4 ,many instances can be  
mentioned in which the long clothes have
 been made a yard and a quarter long4   
,the absurdity of this custom becomes   
apparent1 if we only imagine a mother or
 nurse of short statue carrying an      
infant in petticoats of this length2 and
 we believe that long clothes are always
 made totally irrespective of the height
 of mother or nurse4 ,imagine one or the
 other treading on the robe1 and        
throwing herself and the child down6    
,imagine1 also1 the probable            
consequences of such an accident6 ,and  
when one ventures to express doubts as  
to the propriety of dressing an infant  
in long clothes1 instead of arguments in
 their favor1 one is met by the absurd  

remark1 ,a baby looks so grand in long  
clothes6 ,we have for some years        
endeavored1 as far as our influence     
extended1 to put an end to this         
practice1 and in some cases we have so  
far succeeded as to induce the mother to
 short-coat the child before it was     
three months old1 and even previous to  
this period to make the under garments  
of a length suited to the size of the   
child1 while the frock or robe1 as it is
 called1 retained the fashionable       
length4 ,the latter1 being of fine      
texture1 did not add considerably to the
 weight of the clothes4 ,children who   
have the free use of their limbs not    
only walk earlier than others1 but are  
stronger on their feet4  ,another evil  
practice1 which some years since        
prevailed universally1 was that of      
rolling a bandage1 three inches in      
width1 and two or three yards in length1
 round the body of the child4 ,the pain 
that such a bandage1 from its unyielding
 nature1 would occasion1 not to speak of

 its ill effects on the health1 may be  
readily imagined4 ,this bandage was1 in 
fact1 a kind of breaking in for the     
tight lacing1 the penalty which most    
females in this country have had1 at    
some period or other1 to undergo4       
,there is no end of the inconsistencies 
of children's dress4 ,if1 in early      
infancy1 they are buried in long        
petticoats1 no sooner can they walk than
 the petticoats are so shortened that   
they scarcely cover the child's back    
when it stoops4 ,the human race has a   
wonderful power of accommodating itself 
to a variety of temperatures and        
climates2 but perhaps it is seldom      
exposed to greater vicissitudes than in 
the change from long clothes to the     
extremely short and full ones that are  
now fashionable4 ,the very full skirt is
 not so warm in proportion to its length
 as one of more moderate fulness2       
because1 instead of clinging round the  
figure1 it stands off from it1 and      
admits the air under it4 ,the former is 

also heavier than the latter1 inasmuch  
as it contains more material2 and the   
weight of the clothing is a great       
disadvantage to a child4 ,a sensible    
medical writer1 ,dr4 ,john ,f4 ,south1  
in an excellent little work entitled    
,domestic ,surgery1 makes some very     
judicious observations relative to      
children's dress4 ,of the fashion of    
dressing boys with the tunic reaching to
 the throat1 and trousers1 which are    
both so loose as to offer no impediment 
to freedom of motion1 he approves2 but  
he condemns1 in the strongest terms1 the
 unnatural--,mr4 ,south remarks he had  
almost said atrocious--system to which1 
in youth1 if not in childhood1 girls are
 subjected for the improvement of their 
figure and gait4  ,it is fortunate for  
the present generation that it is the   
fashion for the dresses of even little  
girls to be made as high as the throat2 
the old fashion of cutting the frock low
 round the neck1 which still exists in  
what is called full dress1 is           

objectionable on more than one account4 
,in the first place1 it is objected to  
on the consideration of health2 because 
the upper part of the chest is not      
protected from the influence of currents
 of air1 and by this means1 as ,mr4     
,south observes1 the foundation is laid 
for irritable lungs4 ,in the next place1
 the dress is generally suffered to fall
 off the shoulders1 and is1 in fact1    
only retained in its place by the tight 
band about the waist4 ,to avoid the     
uneasiness occasioned by the pressure of
 the latter1 the child slips its clothes
 off one shoulder1 generally the right1 
which it raises more than the other2 the
 consequence of this is1 that the raised
 shoulder becomes permanently higher    
than the other1 and the spine is drawn  
towards the same side4 ,it is said that 
there is scarcely one ,english woman in 
fifty who has not one shoulder higher or
 thicker than the other2 and there      
appears but little doubt that much of   
this deformity is to be ascribed to the 

above-mentioned cause4 ,in confirmation 
of this opinion1 it may be mentioned    
that the practice of wearing dresses low
 in the neck is almost peculiar to      
,english girls2 ,french girls1 nearly   
from infancy1 wear high dresses1 and it 
is certain that deformity is not so     
frequent among ,french women as it is   
among ,english4  ,the discipline of     
tight lacing is frequently begun so     
early in life1 that the poor victim has 
little or no recollection of the pain   
and suffering occasioned by the pressure
 of the stiff and uncomfortable stays   
before the frame has become accustomed  
to them4 ,those of our readers who were 
fortunate enough to escape this         
infliction in early life1 and who       
adopted stiff stays at a more mature    
age1 can bear testimony to the suffering
 occasioned by them during the first few
 weeks of their use4 ,o1 said a girl who
 put on stiff stays1 for the first time1
 at the age of fourteen or fifteen1 ,i  
wish bedtime was come1 that ,i might    

take off these stiff and uncomfortable  
stays1 they pain me so much4 ,hush1     
hush6 exclaimed a starch old maiden     
aunt1 shocked at what she thought the   
indelicacy of the expression which pain 
had wrung from the poor girl2 you must  
bear it for a time2 you will soon get   
used to it4 ,used to it6 ,yes1 indeed1  
as the cook said the eels did to        
skinning1 and with1 as regards the poor 
girls1 almost as disastrous             
consequences4  ,there are three points  
of view in which tight lacing is        
prejudicial4 ,it weakens the muscles of 
the shoulders and chest1 which rust1 as 
it were1 for want of use2 it injures1 by
 pressure1 the important organs         
contained in the chest and trunk2 and1  
lastly1 instead of improving the figure1
 it positively and absolutely deforms   
it4 ,a waist disproportionately small1  
compared with the stature and           
proportions of the individual1 is a     
greater deformity than one which is too 
large2 the latter is simply clumsy2 it  

does not injure the health of the       
person1 while the former is not only    
prejudicial to health1 but to beauty4   
,were our fair readers but once         
convinced of this fact1 there would be  
an end of tight lacing2 and the good    
results arising from the abolition of   
this practice would be evident in the   
improved health of the next generation4 
,what a host of evils follow in the     
steps of tight lacing6 ,indigestion1    
hysteria1 spinal distortion1            
consumption1 liver complaints1 disease  
of the heart1 cancer1 early             
death6--these are a few of them1 and    
enough to make both mothers and         
daughters tremble4 ,it is an aggravation
 of the evil that is brought upon us    
frequently by the agency of a mother--of
 her upon whose affection and experience
 a child naturally relies in all things1
 and whose lamentable ignorance of what 
constitutes beauty of form1 as well as  
her subjection to the thraldom of       
fashion1 is the prolific source of so   

much future misery to her unsuspecting  
daughter4  ,education is the order of   
the day2 but surely that education must 
be very superficial and incomplete1 of  
which the study of the economy of the   
human form1 its various beauties1 and   
the wonderful skill with which it was   
created1 form no part4 ,a girl spends   
several years in learning ,french1      
,italian1 and ,german1 which may be     
useful to her should she meet with      
,french1 ,italians1 or ,germans1 or     
should she visit the continent2 she     
spends three1 four1 five1 and sometimes 
six hours a day1 in practising on the   
piano1 frequently without having any    
real talent for this accomplishment1    
while she is kept in utter ignorance of 
that which is of vital consequence not  
only to herself1 but to her future      
offspring1 namely1 a knowledge of what  
constitutes true beauty1 and contributes
 to the preservation of health1 and1 we 
may also add1 of good humor and         
happiness2 for it is one of the evils   

attending ill health1 that it frequently
 induces a fretful and irritable state  
of mind4 ,instead of the really useful  
knowledge of the economy of the frame1  
and the means of preserving health1     
girls are taught the constrained        
attitudes and the artificial deportment 
of the dancing master4 ,the remark of   
,sir ,joshua ,reynolds on this subject  
has been often quoted4 ,he said1 ,all   
the motions of children are full of     
grace2 affectation and distortion come  
in with the dancing master4 ,to dancing 
itself there is not the slightest       
objection2 it is at once an agreeable   
and healthy occupation1 and it affords a
 pleasing and innocent recreation4 ,the 
pleasure which most children take in it1
 in spite of the exercises which they   
are compelled to practise1 proves1 we   
think1 its utility4  ,the treatment of  
the feet is on a par with that of the   
rest of the body4 ,the toes are thrust  
close together into a shoe1 the shape of
 the sole of which does not resemble    

that of the foot4 ,it is generally      
narrower than the foot1 which1          
therefore1 hangs over the sides4 ,the   
soles of children's shoes are1 moreover1
 made alike on both sides1 whereas the  
inside should be nearly straight1 and   
the width of the sole should correspond 
exactly with that of the foot4 ,boots1  
which have been so fashionable of late  
years1 are very convenient1 and have a  
neat appearance1 but they are considered
 to weaken the ankle1 because the       
artificial support which they give to   
that part prevents the full exercise of 
the muscles1 which waste from want of   
use4 ,shoes should be cut short in the  
quarter1 because the pressure necessary 
to keep such shoes as are now worn on   
the feet will1 in this case1 be on the  
instep instead of the toes1 which will1 
by this arrangement1 have more room4    
,we shall conclude our observations on  
children's dress1 considered in a       
sanitary point of view1 in the words of 
,mr4 ,south4 ,if1 then1 you wish your   

children1 girls especially1 to have the 
best chance of health1 and a good       
constitution1 let them wear flannel next
 their skin1 and woollen stockings in   
winter2 have your girls' chests covered 
to the collar bones1 and their shoulders
 in1 not out of their dresses1 if you   
would have them straight2 and do not    
confine their chests and compress their 
digestive organs by bone stays1 or      
interfere with the free movement of     
their chests by tight belts1 or any     
other contrivance1 if you desire their  
lungs should do their duty1 upon which  
so mainly depends the preservation of   
health4--,sharpe's ,london ,magazine4   
,,note4--,the ,fig4 #eh1 referred to on 
the top of page #ei1 is not found in the
 plate2 but the same style of dressing  
the hair may be seen in ,fig4 #eg4      
,transcriber's ,notes and ,amendments3  
,inconsistencies in spelling and        
hyphenation retained3                   
,ardene_/,arderne                       
,makrinitza_/,markinitza                

,parmegianino_/,parmegiano              
outdoor_/out-door    ',head ,dress' on  
the title page was left un-hyphenated1  
as printed4  ,amendments to the text as 
originally printed3    ,list of         
,illustrations and ,chapter ,,vii       
7caption for plate ,,xii47     '#hi1    
#ij4 ,from ,le ,moniteur de la ,mode1'  
to     '#ij1 #ia4 ,from ,le ,moniteur de
 la ,mode1'    ,chapter ,,ii4     ',the 
lady in the evening dress 7,fig #di7' to
     ',the lady in the evening dress    
7,fig4 #di7'    ,chapter ,,vi4     ',the
 materials of the drapery in the latter 
is' to     ',the materials of the       
drapery in the latter are'    ,chapter  
,,vii4     'ribbon1 artificial flowers4 
feathers1' to     'ribbon1 artificial   
flowers1 feathers1'      'the environs  
of ,athens1 7,fig4 #di47' to     'the   
environs of ,athens1 7,fig4 #dg47'