Mads Mikkelsen + 18th century Denmark

Es gibt einen Teaser für den Film Eine königliche Affäre, der im 18. Jahrhundert in Dänemark spielt und auf einer wahren Begebenheit beruht. Einige kennen die Geschichte vielleicht aus Per Olov Enquists Roman Der Leibarzt, der allerdings nicht die Vorlage für das Drehbuch darstellt. Kurzum: Es geht um das Schicksal des jungen deutschen Arztes Johann Friedrich Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen), der von 1768 an als Leibarzt an den Hof des dänischen Königs Christian VII. gerufen wurde. Dort beginnt er eine verhängnisvolle Affäre mit der jungen Königin Caroline Mathilde.
Es kann ja nie genug Filme über das 18. Jahrhundert geben, insofern freue ich mich schon sehr auf diese Veröffentlichung, vor allem da Mads Mikkelsen mit von der Partie ist. Kinostart soll im März 2012 sein.

Some might know the story about the german physician Johann Friedrich Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen) who, in 1768, became the personal physician of King Christian VII. of Denmark and Norway. Struensee started a fatal affair with the young Queen Caroline Mathilde. Per Olov Enquist turned this story into a famous novel, but the movie is not based on it. Nevertheless it looks fairly promising and everything about the 18th century on big screen is always more than welcome to me. And it's with Mads Mikkelsen, so it almost cannot get any better! The german release is scheduled for March 2012!

Corselets in 1780s fashion

Dank Cécile von Mme. du Jards Atelier habe ich erfahren, dass das von mir zuletzt gepostete Hochzeitskleid aus den 1780ern ein seltenes Original einer Modeerscheinung aus eben jenem Jahrzehnt abbildet. Und zwar ein sogenanntes Corselet, ein Korsett also, dass über der Kleidung getragen wurde. Ich habe in der Tat mal die Ausgaben des Journals des Luxus und der Moden durchforstet, um nach Abbildungen und Beschreibungen dieser Mode zu suchen.

Thanks to Cécile from Mme. du Jards Atelier I got to know a little more about the recently posted 1780s wedding dress. It appears to be a rare example of an 1780s fad: the outer corselet. I looked through the 80s issues of the Journal des Luxus und der Moden, where I found a few exemplars with some more information. 

About corselets - Journal des Luxus und der Moden, September 1786

Of french origin, the corselets are described here as the newest trend in fashion, that appeared not without a practical background. In the Journal des Luxus und der Moden it is depicted as a kind of protection for the back of the dress, which otherwise got soiled by hair powder and pomade of the long Chignons or Catogans. There are full and semi corselets or, more simply, large belts. As it says in the journal the corselets are always of a dark coloured fabric and worn to the best effect over white muslin, gauze or silk.
  

Fashion plate September 1786

Closeup of the corselet

This is the description to the fashion plate above. This full corselet is of black taffeta, lined with white (not mentioned) fabric. The back and the front of the corselet and it's construction follow the english fashion. It is slightly boned, using only very thin boning in a 3 inches spacing, stiched with white silk. A 4 fingers spacing is left open in the front to be decorated and closed with 5 buckles. The buckles and ribbons alternate in direction.

Hier in weiteres Beispiel aus dem Dezember des selben Jahres:
Another example, Dezember 1786:

Fashion plate Dezember 1786

A closeup of the corselet

Description - Journal des Luxus und der Moden

The description (roughly) says: Over the corset a corselet is worn. The cut is following the form of the chest, pointing up in the front and the back. It is laced at the back. It is made of brown atlas, same as the outer sleeves.

Description of the semi corselet

 

The semi corselets are not boned, are only half the size of a full corselet and only covering half of the bodice. On their down side they follow the waistline and are usually closed with three buckles.  
 

The belt

The wide belt, covering the waistline, is either closed with a buckle (about 3 inches in hight) - The author here compares this buckle to the one that's attached to the bandoleers of the french Swiss Guards and thinks it is not good looking -  The belts can also be closed in the back with coloured ribbons.

Hier gibt es zur Erinnerung noch einmal ein Bild von dem Original. So wie es aussieht, scheint es neben den dunklen corselets auch Varianten gegeben zu haben, die in aus dem selben Stoff wie die übrige Robe gefertigt wurden und vorn nicht mit Schnallen, sondern mit Schnürung geschlossen wurden. Ich würde auch sagen, dass es sich hier von der Beschreibung her eher um ein halbes corselet handelt. Ich habe über die 80er Jahre hinaus keine weiteren Abbildungen von corselets gefunden, was aber nicht heißen muss, dass diese Mode in den 90ern nicht mehr existierte.

Here is a picture of the original wedding dress. Clearly, there haven't been only dark coloured corselets. And this one is obviously not closed with buckles but laced. Since all the descriptions above are from 1786 and depict the corselet as a new fashion trend, it is possible that this particular dress is a little younger and shows the ongoing changes of that fashion trend. It seems to be what was characterized as semi corselet. No boning and only covering half of the bodice. Beyond the 1780s, I found no further examples of corselets in the Journal des Luxus und der Moden. Of course this doesn't mean, they couldn't have been used in the 90s as well.

Speisezettel für den November 1829

This time only in german. It basically is all about a 'grand diner' composition, explicitly composed for the month of November, published in 1829.

René François le Goullon war seit dem Jahr 1777 Küchenmeister der Herzogin Anna Amalia von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach. Er eröffnete mehrere Restaurants in Weimar und ist bekannt für seine Kochbücher, in denen er die Kochkunst und Art der Bewirtung seiner Zeit festhielt. Am bekannstesten ist vermutlich seine Publikation Der elegante Theetisch aus dem Jahre 1809.

Die nun folgende Speisekarte für den Monat November stammt allerdings aus einer anderen Veröffentlichung aus dem Jahre 1829. Die Speisekarten der ausgehenden 20er Jahre des 19. Jahrhunderts sehen für den November folgende Köstlichkeiten vor:

Im Vorwort heisst es zu diesen Speisekarten wie folgt:

"Folgende Speisezettel gehören durchgängig in das Gebiet der feinern Kochkunst, und verdanken ihre Komposition den drei berühmtesten Künstlern der Küche, Carême, Viard und Fouret. Diese Männer können als ein wahres Kleeblatt von Geschicklichkeit, sowohl in Hinsicht der Erfindung neuer Gerichte als Decorationen für die Tafel gelten. Auch haben sie vollkommen verstanden, die schwierige Aufgabe zu lösen,  - nur die edelsten Theile der zum Genuss bestimmten Thiere, Pflanzen und Früchte für die feinern Gerichte zu verwenden, ohne deshalb die minder guten umkommen zu lassen; wie ich solches in der Folge darthun will, auch um meinerseits die moderne Küche in Schutz  zu nehmen vor dem übeln Leumund, der solche mit Unrecht der Verschwendung anschuldigt."

Carriages - The 17th century - part 2

A little more about coaches, carriages and sedans in the 17th century:

Brouette

King Louis XIII. of France often used a little brouette on a hunt. The brouette was not loved by many, it was rather famous for beeing uncomfortable and for falling over incidentally.
When it came to smaller vehicles the sedans were spreading quickly in early 17th century France. Some even used the sedan for long lasting journeys. For instance, the Duchess of Nemours travelled from her principality in Neuchatel to Paris in a sedan each year, which took her eight days and required the service of 40 carriers. Other than that, the sedan was basically an inner-city conveyance, that came out of fashion not before the 18th century.

Brouettes also known as Vinaigrettes in Versailles

Coaches for overland travelling were usually much bigger and simpler in construction than the refined city vehicles. This changed however, when in the middle of the century the Coupé was introduced. At that time springs were first attached to the carriage, to make travelling more comfortable. Until then it had been a very shaky experience. But from then on the carriage case was seperated from the chassis and carriages became more and more accepted as the appropiate touring caroche.

17th century Coupé   © Éminence Rouge Blog

The famous maitresse of King Louis XIV., Madame de Montespan, travelled in 1676 to Bourbon l'Archambault with much pomp and ostentation. Her state coach was massive, with a 6 horse hitch and in her entourage were six ladies in waiting in a seperate coach, two carriages for luggage drawn by mules and an escort of up to 12 horsemen and 20 servants.
Nevertheless the french nobility began to ask for more lightweight pomp waggons and soon the Caleshe, named after the polish kolaska, caught on to become the must have for everyone with taste and influence.

Louis XIV and Marie Thesese in a very pompous caleshe © White Images/Scala, Florence  

At first the caleshe was a rather simple caroche without any suspension or top and drawn by either two or four horses. Later it was usually lined with rich textiles and heavily gilded. No window coverings spoiled the view out of the caleshe or the supply of fresh air. In France during the 17th century a 6 horse hitch was common with the caleshe and with the success of the latter the carriage had been finally established as status symbol.

Carriages - The 17th century

These are just a few facts I learned about carriages in the 17th century. I hope to give some more information soon.

16th century, English carriage  © RIA Novosti

From 1610 onwards paned carriages slowly started to displace the ones with leather or textile window coverings. From this time on functionality in design became overshadowed by pomp and luxury. Whereas it was rather odd to own a carriage in the 16th century, the number of carriages in Paris in 1610 amounted to 325. 
During the first half of the 17th century the number of carriages in France increased erraticly and already in 1616 carriages were common to the english aristocracy. In 1610 George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham was actually the first to yoke six horses to his carriage.

17th century design by Philippo Passarini

17th century coach, french origin © National Coach Museum Portugal

The most carriages in number and also the most luxurios were used on german territory.  In 1611 Kardinal Dietrichstein visited Vienna with an entourage of already 40 carriages. By the end of the century the Duke Ernst August of Hannover is reported as owner of 50 gilded carriages, with each having a team of six horses.
The Spanish were introduced to the carriage in 1546. Altough common by the end of the 16th century the look of the vehicles remained rather simple here. In 1631 the infanta Maria Anna of Spain travelled to Carinthia in a small coach that fitted only two people. Her husband's (Emperor Ferdinand III.) carriages were not very pompous either, being decorated mainly with leather and black bullen nails, lacking any gilded ornament, the only luxury beeing the paned windows.

Finally with the new dress form...

... everything is coming together. I'm still far from being finished, but today I received my new dress form and also the silk trim, which is lovely. I don't really know where to put it, what you can see in the picture is just a quick shot, pinned to the dress. But it's finally starting to look like a complete version of a robe à la francaise. Yippie!

 

Heute kam sowohl meine neue Schneiderpuppe als auch meine Seidenborte an, und so langsam kommt Schwung in die Sache. Die Borte ist erstmal nur auf das Kleid drapiert, ich muss noch überlegen, wo und wie ich sie anbringe, da ich natürlich etwas haushalten muss damit. Aber immerhin, es geht voran und ein Ende ist in Sicht. Und endlich sieht es schon wie eine richtige Robe aus! :D 

What's next?

While waiting for my buds'n'bows trim and the new dress form I ordered, I'm thinking about what to do next. Having a new project - or object of desire - in mind before finishing the current one is quite common, I think. Also common, I suppose, is to do an Anglaise right after a Francaise, which is exactly what I will do, too. I'm hopeful to master the more taylored gown, 'though I still feel like an absolute beginner when it comes to constructing a dress, that's why the new dress form was inevitable.

This well known gown from the Kyoto Costume Institute is what I have in mind. It shall be blue, like the original, but a little simpler in decoration.

© The Kyoto Costume Institute

Es ist eine leidige Angewohnheit, bereits an das nächste Projekt zu denken, bevor das aktuelle abgeschlossen ist. Aber während ich noch auf meine Borte und eine neue Schneiderpuppe warte, plane ich schon eine Robe à l'anglaise, was mir als nächster Schritt nach der Francaise nur natürlich erscheint. Als Vorbild soll oben stehendes Ausstellungstück des Kyoto Costume Institute dienen, das die meisten Costumers sicherlich kennen. 
Ich werde die Farbe beibehalten, aber letztlich orientiere ich mich einzig an dem Schnittmuster von J.P. Ryan. Das Bild oben ist nur Inspiration und so feinen gestreiften Seidentaft gibt es ja leider nicht in meiner Reichweite...

1780s wedding dress

I saved these pictures about a year ago, but I do not really remember where they were taken from. They show a 1780s wedding dress, that looks really lovely - especially with the little triangular applications - and I wonder if anyone knows where that dress is being displayed or in which collection it can be found.
Also, does anyone know if the lacing in front is functional or purely for decoration?

Ich weiß leider nicht mehr, woher ich diese Bilder einer 1780er Hochzeitsrobe habe. Falls jemand weiß, wo dieses Kleid ausgestellt wird oder zu welcher Kollektion es gehört, dann immer her mit den Infos ;)  Außerdem frage ich mich, ob die Schnürung vorn nur Zierde ist oder tatsächlich eine Schließfunktion hat.