historical

Fashion Doll Friday: Flora’s Dresses From 1800

So, the question on the table should be “How are these regency dresses unlike all other Regency dresses?” and the answer is ‘Because they are from an earlier period.’ (I realize this is kinda a Passover Seder joke and those of you who have never had to sit through one will not be as amused as those who have). The answer is not because we get to recline while coloring them (another Passover joke), but rather the shape of the dresses. At the turn of the 19th Century when it was just beginning (around 1800), the shape of the dress was nearly flat on top with a fair bit of fullness in the bottom though it shifted away from this form fairly quickly.

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As the fashion plate from 1800 shows, the shape of these dresses was slightly different in the late 1790’s and early 1800s. The plate I based these costumes on, as well as many others, can be seen in the Claremont Colleges collection. It’s a wonderful collection of fashion plates.

In other news, Erin (who doesn’t have a website I can link, I don’t think) correctly identified my favorite holiday as Purim and therefore as won my contest. Purim is coming up in March (like all Jewish holidays, it starts at sundown and then goes until sunset the next day). There will be a Purim paper doll, I just haven’t decided if I want to make it a Pixie or a Marisole doll or something totally new. Thoughts continue…

Erin, if you could please send me your request (paperthinpersonas(at)gmail(dot)com). I’ll need hair color, eye color, style and anything else you want to tell me. Thank you.

Fashion Doll Friday: Flora’s Riding Habit and Day Dress

The dress on the left is based on a Hyde Park walking costume, but I think it should be a riding habit since I haven’t seen many very good riding habits from this period. Also, the hat amuses me pretty deeply. The Hyde Park walking costume is a fashion plate from the Casey Fashion Plate Index.

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There’s a new-ish paper doll blog called Silent Moonstone which features some darling paper dolls. They sent me a very nice email asking about how I color Marisole and Pixie. The short answer is that I use a combination of Photoshop and a filter called the B-Pelt Filter. Someday, I might make a tutorial with a long answer, but for now that’s how I do it.

Oh, and I suggest people check back on Sunday. There’s something fairly exciting happening here on Sunday. Okay…. I think it’s exciting… no one else might.

Fashion Doll Friday: Flora’s Spencer Jacket and Walking Costume

This has been a busy week here among the corn. I’ve been working and schooling. I got to listen in on a fascinating lecture about the history of bibles (not the text, but the printing history of the book) and that was amazing. And, of course, I’ve been working on homework and other things while work is very busy. It’s been fun, but hectic.

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Neither of these costumes for Flora were based on specific fashion plate. I felt like she needed a spencer jacket (the short jacket) which is such a well known early 19th century garment. It was named for George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer. The story goes he burned the tails off his coat while warming himself by the fire and just decided to cut them off. It seems doubtful this actually happened, but it’s a neat story. Jane Austen’s World blog had somebeautiful photos of spencer jackets. I confess to actually not being a big fan of Austen, but people keep telling me I should reread her novels. I keep telling them I have other things I’d rather read. This is a hard case to make to my good friend who wrote her Master’s thesis on Jane Austen.

Fashion Doll Friday: Flora’s Short Stays and Morning Dress

So, I just realized I actually have three paper dolls on the site all named Flora (one short run doll, one pixie paper doll and the regency doll) and I don’t even like the name Flora that much… I feel a little like a ditz as a result, but I don’t plan on letting it get to me too much. I mean, all ready pretty much have accepted that I’m a bit spacey (usually I try to blame this on a combination of work, school and everything else).

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Today Flora (the Regency one) has a morning dress and a set of short stays. According to Ewing’s book Fashion in Underwear (which is being reprinted by Dover), the short stays were common through 1800 with this example I drew dating from 1790. There was a dramatic drop in the number of stays manufactures in the early 1800s. I always thought stays and corsets were distinctly different objects, but I have recently learned that, according to both Ewing and a few others, that the terms were used interchangeably for most of the 19th century before “corset” survived into the 20th and “stays” stayed (bad pun, I know) in the 19th century.

Her morning dress is based on this illustration from the New York Public Library Digital Gallery which dates from and, of course, she has a cap to go with it. The morning dress was considered undress by the women of the era (there was also full dress and half dress) and was not usually worn outside of the house. It’s a beautiful garment though and the style of sleeve was called the “Juliet Sleeve” which I think is rather romantic and also.. um… does not bode well for the person wearing it.

Also, there’s a new poll. I’m enjoying polls. They take the stress out of decision making. 🙂

Flora, A Regency Paper Doll: Her Chemise and Petticoat

Flora is a paper doll based on wooden dolls of the Regency era. She has underwear in this plate. She's free to print and color.

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So, I am a little late with this post. I had planned on putting her up last night, as I usually do, but ended up spending more time working on homework then I’d originally planned. After that, I put in some time studying my Latin and crashed early. No paper dolling time really at all. So, I got up early the next morning, finished my Latin homework and then had enough time to prep the images, but not enough time to post. Annoyed more then anything else, I went to Latin, went to work, went to dinner and now, finally, have gotten home.

With a slight delay, I am pleased to introduce Flora, my new regency paper doll and yes, her name was chosen because it was alliterative. Don’t judge me for my adoration of alteration. The paper doll is based on wooden dolls of early 1800’s. Her body is the same as that of a manikin doll shown in The Complete Book of Doll Making and Collecting which contains many photographs of antique dolls. The hair style was adapted from a wooden tuck comb doll though without the comb since it would make bonnets difficult.

Her full slip is based on illustrations from Dress and Undress: A History of Women’s Underwear which is considered to be one of the best works on the topic. I agree that it is fantastic, but I wish it had more pictures. All of the paper dolls underwear designs come from this text which was one of the few that discussed the differences between early 1800’s underwear compared to later when the corset returned. To go with her slip, I have included a simple chemise which was drawn from this one in the Fashion Museum in Bath, England. I adore the Fashion Museum site and wax on about that more on my Research Resources page.

That is all I think I need to say about the paper doll. Of course, if you haven’t all ready done so, you may wish to vote in my poll.

Florence’s Dinner or Wedding Dress: Victorian Paper Doll Dresses

A wedding dress for Florence, a paper doll based on a French fashion doll of the 1870s.

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And so, today is the last Florence paper doll post. Actually, I can’t say its the LAST, because lord knows I might decide in five months that what I really want to do is draw the paper doll something new and then I will, but it is the last committed Florence post.

So, since we are on the eve of the New Year (which is quite exciting) and I am considering the future of PTP, I have decided a few things. One is that the short run dolls are ending. I don’t know how I will post my paper-dolls that aren’t serial, but I think some sort of gallery might be the right format for them. I ended up having to reformat them in strange ways to get them to fit with the rest of the site and I didn’t always like the outcome. For the moment, Sundays will be paper doll free- however, I will be working on a Gallery for the site. We’ll see how long it takes me to produce it.

If you missed the first Florence post (which seems not surprising since this is the last Florence post), that is where you get the Florence paper doll.

Mix & Match 1870s Paper Doll Clothing for Florence

A set of skirts and bodices for the 1870s paper doll Florence.

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This is the second to last Florence post with her last being a wedding dress/dinner dress for next week. The regency wooden doll is going slowly. I have the doll drawn, but am struggling with regency underwear information. My sources suggest that while some women shed corsets (mostly radical french women), most still wore some sort of corset like garment. The challenge is figuring out what those garments were. So, I have six books on historical underwear spread across my dining room table while I try to figure it out.

Speaking of paper doll research, I have been collecting a series of links I use for research. You can find them up in the new Research Resources section.

Plus, if you need the base paper doll that wears these outfits, she’s here.

Victorian Printable Paper Doll from 1886

As a child, my favorite paper dolls were those of dolls themselves. So, here is an 1886 fashion doll and her three page paper doll wardrobe. Each of her gowns is based on a gown from a Dover book of fashion plate reprints from 1886. I remember checking the book out of the college library and spending hours pouring over it looking at the bustled costumes. A lot of fun.

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{Download and Print a PDF of this Three Page Set}

I’m still proud of this paper doll, even all these years after I drew her. She was drawn during my senior year of college while I was sharing a house with two roommates. I distinctly recall sitting on this ugly green couch we had and penciling her while watching Law ans Order reruns on TV.

Clearly, we were a mad partying group.

I have nothing else really to say today. Classes are going well and work on my grad stuff continues. I’m be so glad when this is all over, I think. I like classes, but I miss working a lot.

Florence’s Tea Dress and Cashmere Wrap: 1870s Paper Doll Dresses

It’s been a long week of writing a paper. It’s over through and turned in. I’m excited that its over. I’ve also been inking a fair bit today and working on something fun for Marisole for Monday which should be fun. I do like inking. It’s very calming after a long hectic day at work. Of course, working on the blog is a luxury which explains why I’m a little late today.

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I’ll be starting a new Fashion Doll Friday series on Dec 1st. Currently, the regency wooden doll is in the lead, but it’s open until next Sunday. I must confess I rather suspected the regency doll would be in the lead, though the fifties fashion doll may yet recover and pull a head. Both sound like they would be fun.

So, vote if you wish. Comment if you wish. Let me know what people think they would like.

Florence, the paper doll that wears all these clothes, can be found here.

1940’s: Vintage Fashion Paper Doll

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I do love vintage fashion and though the 1940’s are not my favorite period, I drew this set of paper dolls around the same time I drew last weeks Curves post. In fact, it was exactly the same time, as with that post I used the Vintage Fashion Wiki to find pattern covers from the 1940s and then drew them.

Though I like the way it turned out, I am the first to confess that my interest in 1940’s costume can be linked entirely to my love of Foyle’s War another fantastic BBC drama. I love BBC dramas much more than I should. Plus I can get them from the library for free which when you’re a starving graduate student is a lovely advantage. To be fair, I’ve also been watching a great deal of The X-files, but I doubt I am going to drawing 1990’s suits a la Dana Scully. I’m just not that much of a fan of early 90’s suits.

Florence’s Morning Dress: 1870 Victorian Paper Doll Clothes

So I’m a little peeved at WordPress right now. This post was supposed to go up Friday afternoon. Obviously, it didn’t. So, I’m back dating it for the day it should have posted and getting it up today. Apparently, the world has decided against playing nice with me today. (On the upside, I got my homework done this after noon and bought a really cute pair of riding boots. So… things aren’t all bad.)

Today, we have a morning dress for Florence. We also have a poll to vote for the future of Fashion Doll Fridays. My intention is to draw another historical fashion doll and then work on drawing a full wardrobe for her much as I have for the last year and a-half for Florence. A few people have expressed sadness at the ending of Florence. I hope people will come to like whatever comes after as much as they have liked Florence. She will continue for four more weeks (cause that’s how much I have draw for her.) And her final post is quite cool. So look forward to that one.

An 1870s morning dress for the printable paper doll Florence.

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For me, the challenge of Florence was to draw a historically accurate French fashion doll based on the dolls produced by the Bru company (which I did, mostly… her head is more Gaultier or Jumeau in nature) and give her a wardrobe which she would have had from the period of the soft bustle. The question for the poll is, of course, what sort of doll should I draw next?

The options are, in date order, a Georgian doll from the 1700’s, a Regency era wooden doll, a hoopskirt wearing china headed doll, a bisque headed doll from the 1910s (I couldn’t find a good photo of this except for in books, think Titanic era clothing) or a hard plastic 1950’s fashion doll.

So, vote if you wish. Comment if you wish. Polls are open until Nov. 1 with the new doll series starting on December 1st.

Looking for Florence? You can find the paper doll here.

1930’s: Historical Printable Paper Doll

Curves: 1930s

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I sort of collect historical costume and vintage fashion resources around the web. One of my favorites is The Vintage Patterns Wiki full of pattern covers from the 20th century. From there, I found the wonderful blog What I Found where the author had posted a Simplicity Simplicity Fashion Forecast – 1937 advertising book. It’s wonderful. Curve’s paper doll costumes both come from this lookbook from the era- one smart suit and one summery casual frock. Her shoes are based on illustrations in John Peacock’s book Fashion Accessories.

I’ve been drawing a lot, but not posting a lot which is rare for me. Usually, I’m struggling to keep up with the blog and come up with ideas. Lately, all I’ve been wanting to do is draw and when it comes time to scan or color, I just sort of go, “Meh”. I think it’s because I find drawing relaxing and posting is more like work. Anyway, today’s Curves is going up and on Friday there will be a Florence (one of the last Florence’s I suspect) and starting in November there will be a new Fashion Doll Friday paper doll, of style I don’t know yet. Maybe I’ll put it too a vote.