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 Library 
 
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 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029921180 
 
SELECT 
 
 Historical Costumes 
 
 COMPILED 
 
 PROM THE MOST RELIABLE SOURCES 
 
 HENRY L. HINTON 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 WYNKOOP & SHERWOOD 
 
 18 Beekman St. 
 
 1868 
 
EnUTutl aceurtUn^' lo Act ut (.'ongn-sb, in tlie year 1S67, Uy 
 
 HENIIY L. IIINTON, 
 
 111 the Clerk's Office of the District Ouurt (.f tlie United States for the 
 
 Southern District of New Yorli. 
 
 BRADSTEEET PRESS. 
 
TO 
 
 Edwin Booth, 
 
 AS A SLIGHT TRIBFTE TO ni9 RARE GENIUS, ANU AN ACKNO"WLEDGMENT OF 
 MANY GREAT KlNDNESSEb, 
 
 THIS V f ) L U M E 
 
 IS RE8PECTFFLL T INSCRIBED BT 
 
 THE EDITOR. 
 
II^TEODUCTIOK 
 
 ''HE effort to seek 
 expression in cos- 
 tume is one of the 
 most universal in nature. 
 ^Xature strews along the sea- 
 -"' shore shells of an infinite vari- 
 ety of tints, apparently with no 
 other object than to please the eye; 
 she scatters flowers of countless hues 
 and delicate combinations of colors over the 
 hills and meadows, from, it would seem, 
 the simple love of adornment; she decks 
 her animal creation in furs and plumage 
 marked and painted by a fancy revelling in 
 the delight of its own freedom. Man forms 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 no exception; the instinct in him to array 
 himself in varied colors and draperies is a 
 part of the system of Nature, and is in har- 
 mony with her creative and free spirit. 
 The philosopher, then, who despises dress 
 overdoes the character he assumes. Nor 
 need we an apology for catering, as we do 
 in the volume here presented, to the fancy 
 of the masquerader or to the tastes of the 
 actor and artist. 
 
 While the instinct of which we speak is 
 an attribute of every age, it is natural that 
 as in youth we more especially rejoice in 
 a spontaneous self-expression, so in those 
 epochs of history when a distinct people 
 or group of peoples is passing through its 
 period of youth, there should be exhibited 
 an extraordinary flowering-out of gay cos- 
 tume. Such an epoch was that of the 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Middle Ages — a period when society was 
 divided and subdivided into orders and 
 classes, secular and religious, to a degree 
 never before witnessed, and when the rank 
 and circumstance of life were denoted and 
 decorated by every fashion of gai'b and 
 device that a glowing fancy could invent. 
 
 It is therefore principally to this great 
 period that we have had recourse in select- 
 ing material for this work. 
 
 In making this selection, while aiming at 
 as great variety as is consistent with the 
 limits of the work, we have given prefer- 
 ence to those costumes that combine the 
 quaintness of the past with an artistic grace 
 and beauty, since, in the masquerade, people 
 of taste will seek to reproduce not that 
 which is simply grotesque, but that which 
 is beautiful as well as novel. Where ex- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 pense is a matter of consideration the mas- 
 querader will do well to observe that many 
 of the styles here represented, though rich 
 in appearance, may be made at less cost 
 than is usually paid for the hire of a single 
 dress to the professional costumer, whose 
 tawdry goods have neither the recommen- 
 dation of cleanliness nor historic truthful- 
 ness — whose "Henry VIII," "Joan of Arc," 
 and the like, need to be placarded to be 
 known. 
 
 The Editor being also solicitous, as an 
 Actor, to subserve the interests of his pro- 
 fession, has had an eye to the choice of such 
 costumes as are suited to the stage, and at 
 the same time have been rarely or never 
 brought out. The costume of " The Young 
 Venetian" was selected by Mr. Edwin 
 Booth on the revival of the " Merchant of 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Venice," at the late Winter Garden Thea- 
 tre — the only occasion, in this country, 
 when that great drama was brought upon 
 the stage with strict historic truthfulness 
 of costume. 
 
 The Editor is also encouraged to believe 
 that the work will be found acceptable to 
 the artist, as affording him material help 
 in reproducing on his canvas the life of 
 the past, as well as rich suggestion for the 
 elaboration of the work of pure fancy. 
 
 In proof of the historic fidelity of the 
 styles here presented, it will only be neces- 
 sary to state that they are selected from the 
 great works of Ferrario, Bonnard, Herbe, 
 Kretschmer, and others of equal authority. 
 
 In the text which accompanies the plates 
 we have not in every instance sought to 
 give detailed descriptions, as the execution 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 of even the most delicate features of dress 
 has been well looked to by the artist. 
 
 As articles requisite for the making-up 
 of such costumes as those we illustrate can 
 only be procured of certain parties, who are 
 probably unknown by many into whose 
 hands this book may fall, we shall, perhaps, 
 do good service in giving a list of those 
 to whom the theatrical profession gener- 
 ally resort. Messrs. Shannon, Miller & 
 Crane, No. 32 Maiden lane, furnish the 
 gold and silver trimmings, together with 
 the cloths, swords, feathers, ornaments, 
 tableau lights, &c. Messrs. Vanderlip & 
 Taylor, No. 96 Bowery, supply the hosiery, 
 tights, body-dresses, symmetries, &c. Mr. 
 John O'Donnell, 260 Bowery, is the charac- 
 ter boot and shoe maker for the profession; 
 and Mr. J. P. Deuel, 124 Amity street, the 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 manufacturer of the stage properties. Paul 
 De Spotte, 336 Canal street, supplies the 
 wigs, beards and masks. These parties, 
 though all in New York, send their goods, 
 when ordered, by mail to all parts of the 
 country. 
 
OOI^TENTS. 
 
 No. 
 
 A French Ladt of Rank, 1 
 
 A German Noble, 2 
 
 A Peasant of the Gbilthal, 3 
 
 A Peasant "Woman of the Geilthal, ... 4 
 
 English Musicians, 5 
 
 Anne, Dauphine DAuvergnb, . . ' . . . 6 
 
 A Young Venetian of the Society of "LaCalza," . 1 
 
 A Young Girl of the Canton Schwytz, ... 8 
 
 An English Lady (15t,h Century), 9 
 
 A German Falconer, 10 
 
 A Young German Peasant "Woman, . . . .11 
 
 A Young -Italian Girl, . .... 12 
 
 A Juggler, . 13 
 
 A Young Duchess (13th Century), .... 14 
 
 A Young Nobleman, 15 
 
 A Lady and a Gallant (1795), 16 
 
 Agnes Soeel, 17 
 
 A Peasant of Hallau, . . ... 18 
 
 A Young Lady (Costume 14th and 15th Centuries), . . 19 
 
 A "Woman of Istria, .... . . 20 
 
 A Scottish Chief, . . 21 
 
 A Young Venetian of Rank 22 
 
 A Lady of Rank of Milan, 23 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 No. 
 
 A Venetian Soldiee, 24 
 
 A Lady belonsins to the suite op the Dauphiness 
 
 D'AUVERGNE, 25 
 
 A Military Costume (15th and 16th Centuries) . . 26 
 
 A Peasant Wouan of the Canton of Fribourg, . . 27 
 
 A Cavalier (llth Century) 28 
 
 A Young Italian Lady 29 
 
 A French Nobleman (1365) 30 
 
A FRENCH LADY OF R A N K, f 15^" CE NTUR Y. ) 
 
A FRENCH LADY OF RANK. 
 
 "HIS costume is ta- 
 ken from a minia- 
 ture of the manuscript 
 entitled ^' Echecs Ainoureux" 
 which is found in the Royal 
 Library of Paris. The wearer, 
 a noble French lady, is decked 
 with the sugar-loaf head-dress so 
 commonly adopted during all of the 
 fifteenth century. A band of black velvet, 
 ornamented with an edging of gold, binds 
 her forehead; the part of the robe which 
 covers the breast is worked in black velvet 
 above, and in tissue of gold down to the 
 girdle; the outer robe is made of blue vel- 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 vet, bordered with gold, and is lined and 
 trimmed with crimson velvet; the ends of 
 the sleeves are also of crimson velvet; the 
 veil is of a white, transparent tissue; the 
 girdle is green, with golden ornaments; 
 the portion of the under-skirt which is seen 
 below is violet; the stockings are black. 
 
A GERMAN NOBLEI. 
 
A GERMAN NOBLE. 
 
 HIS costume is ta- 
 ken from a picture 
 of Pinturicchio, and 
 represents a nobleman in 
 the suite of the Emperor Fred- 
 eric, at the interview wlien he 
 plighted his faith to the Princess 
 of Portugal. 
 
 He wears a red hat, held in its 
 place by a greenish ribbon, passing under 
 the chin. The collar and the hood are yel- 
 low, bordered ia part with gold. The coat 
 is white, changing to a bluish tint, and is 
 terminated by a border of gold. The stock- 
 ings are red; the boots of a yellowish color. 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 and the spurs are silver. The sword-belt 
 is red, with gold buttons. The case of the 
 sword is white, with gilded ornaments. 
 
 The Italian costumes furnish few examples 
 of the use of boots; but the monuments of 
 the northern nations prove that the French, 
 the Germans, and the English very generally 
 availed themselves of this mode of protect- 
 ing the feet and legs; compelled, doubtless, 
 by the necessities of a cold and moist cli- 
 mate. 
 
A peasaMt of the geilthal 
 
A PEASANT OF THE GEILTHAL. 
 
 ^HE dress of the men 
 of Geilthal, in for- 
 mer times of an ex- 
 '?^-^tremely peculiar fashion, is 
 even at the present day 
 unique and original. They keep 
 *the hair cut short. The high- 
 crowned sugar-loaf hat, of a green 
 or black color, is daily becoming 
 more rare among them; the hat is now 
 more commonly worn with a low crown; 
 it is made of felt in winter, and in summer 
 of straw. The neck is encircled with a 
 plaited friU, sewed to the shirt. The waist- 
 coat is red, and is fastened to the trowsers 
 
 3 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 by green braces; the doublet is brown; the 
 trowsers are brown or green, and reach no 
 lower than the middle of the calf; the stock- 
 ings are of white worsted; the sandals or 
 slippers are made of bark. 
 
 It is from the lUyrian peasantry, and in 
 particular those of the G-eilthal, that the 
 Italian theatre has borrowed the dress of 
 some of its buffoons. That of the men, as 
 described above, bears some resemblance to 
 the costume of various burlesque characters 
 in the ancient shows. 
 
 3 
 
A PEASANT WOMAN OFTHE GEILTHAL 
 
A PEASANT WOMAN 
 
 OF THE GEILTHAL. 
 
 HE women of the 
 Geilthal let their 
 hah' hang in long twists, 
 which the unmarried females 
 intertwine with ribbons of silk 
 or red worsted. The head-dress 
 of the married women consists 
 of a kind of round cap, which is 
 sometimes fastened above with a 
 black ribbon. They wear also a necklace 
 of glass beads, made to imitate coral, and a 
 broad muslin ruff or frill, with very small 
 plaits. Their short-sleeved jacket is usually 
 red; the petticoat and apron blue, with bor- 
 ders of a strongly-contrasted color; wide 
 
EISTOEICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 ruffles hang down at the elbow; and in win- 
 ter a brown cloak covers the whole. Their 
 petticoats seldom reach much lower than 
 the knee. This dress is extremely light, 
 and well suited to the mode of life of these 
 mountaineers. Their stockings are of white 
 or colored worsted; their sandals are tied 
 with ribbons or thongs. The waist is encir- 
 cled with a girdle of black fur, adorned with 
 small plates of copper; upon it hangs a closed 
 knife. They seldom wear their hats, unless 
 obliged to do so by rain or the heat of the 
 sun; in general they carry them hanging by 
 a ribbon to the arm. 
 
 4 
 
jisl 
 
 :ngush musicians,. reign or edward 3°; 
 
ENGLISH MUSICIANS. 
 
 REIGN OF EDWARD III. 
 
 'N the houses of 
 great lords, musi- 
 cians occupied the 
 place among the class 
 of domestics. 
 
 In early Saxon times, the com- 
 mon people had their bards, who 
 received their support from the con- 
 tributions of the many, while the 
 kings had their minstrels as part of their 
 household. 
 
 Among the Celtic races musicians held a 
 still more important place in domestic life, 
 and even in our own day it can hardly be 
 
HISTORIGAL COSTUMES. 
 
 said that, among the G-aUic and Scotch peo- 
 ples, the class of itinerant performers upon 
 the harp and the flute is entirely extinct as 
 a recognized element of society. 
 
 The plate which we give represents a 
 group of simple musicians of the time of 
 Edward III, and the singularity of their 
 costume proves that a taste for the grotesque 
 in dress had already made sensible progress 
 at this period. 
 
•^^ 
 
 \NNE D'AUVER GN E. 1371-1416, 
 
ANNE, DAUPHINB D'AUVERGNE. 
 isn-uie. 
 
 jHIS medigeval cos- 
 tume, so bizarre to 
 our modern eyes, is 
 'yet so simple in its details 
 that no description is needed. 
 Anne D'Auvergne was the wife 
 ^ of Louis II, Due De Bourbon, who 
 gained so many victories over the 
 English. Shortly after his marriage the 
 Genoese solicited the aid of France against 
 the pirates of the Barbary States, who were 
 making continual inroads upon their com- 
 merce; the Due de Bourbon demanded and 
 obtained the command of the troops which 
 
 6 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 were sent to their relief. Having set out in 
 the month of May, 1391, with twenty thous- 
 and men, and disembarking, at the beginning 
 of the summer, in sight of the ancient city of 
 Carthage, he invested that place, and in a 
 single day twice defeated the King of Tunis, 
 who was forced to sue for peace. On his 
 return he gave chase to the Saracens, whose 
 vessels infested the Mediterranean, and after 
 a cruise of a few months re-entered the port 
 of Genoa, in the midst of the acclamations 
 of a people who hailed him as their liberator. 
 Soon after, the protracted illness of the King 
 of France forced the Due de Bourbon to 
 assume the administration of the govern- 
 ment. 
 
 History has recorded nothing remarkable 
 of the wife of this Prince, whom our plate 
 represents in the costume of the time. 
 
 6 
 
A YOUNG VENETIAN. BELONGING TO THE SOCIETY OF LA CAL7A 
 
A YOUNG VENETIAN 
 
 or THE SOCIETY OF "LA CALZA." 
 
 ^HE Society of "La 
 Calza" was an asso- 
 ciation of young Vene- 
 ^'jtiau noblemen and a few stran- 
 ^; gers of high rank, who, with 
 the sanction of the magistrates, 
 bound themselves by the ties of 
 reciprocal friendship, and had for 
 their object the pursuit of honor- 
 able pleasures. They gave\ at their own 
 expense, public fetes, accompanied with the- 
 atrical representations. They met together 
 to discourse music, to hold gondola races, 
 to celebrate masquerades, and for every 
 
 ^ 
 
EISTOEIGAL COSTUMES. 
 
 kind of innocent amusement. In order to 
 recognize each other in the pubhc fetes, 
 they wore the right stocking ornamented 
 with various colors, and even with embroid- 
 eries of gold, of silver, or of pearls. 
 
 The young man of this Society whom our 
 plate represents is drawn and colored after 
 a picture of Carpaccia, preserved in the 
 Academy of Fine Arts at Venice. The 
 bonnet is of violet velvet, enriched with 
 golden embroideries and ornaments ; the 
 jacket is of green velvet, with a narrow 
 red border below; the doublet is black, and 
 permits the shirt to be seen; the left stock- 
 ing is adorned with white and black stripes; 
 the right stocking is scarlet, ornamented 
 with two palm branches, and with an em- 
 broidery of pearls upon the thigh; the 
 gloves are yellow. 
 
A YOUNG GIRL OF THE CANTON SCHWYTZ. 
 
A YOUNG GIEL 
 
 OF THE CANTON SOHTVYTZ. 
 
 /HE costume of wo- 
 men and yomig girls 
 in the Canton of 
 Schwytz, and especially in 
 the chief place of that name, 
 is characterized by a certain de- 
 ^gree of stiffness, and approaches 
 the ancient French taste ; it is 
 something between the dress of 
 the peasant and the citizen. It follows, 
 too, the caprices of fashion, and is subject 
 to various changes. 
 
 The ordinary and more or less modern 
 dress of the inhabitants consists at the pres- 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 ent time of a black woolen corset, bordered 
 with silken trimmings; a skirt, in part wool, 
 ornamented with blue stripes or flowers, 
 covered with a linen apron of various colors; 
 white cotton stockings; shoes ornamented 
 with little silver buckles. The hair is gath- 
 ered into a twist at the back of the head; 
 the principal ornament consists of an orig- 
 inal and unique coif, composed of common 
 and coarse laces, rising in two enormous 
 butterfly wings, between which rests a tis- 
 sue of artificial flowers, intermingled with 
 tinsel, and fastened by a large silver eagle 
 set transversely in the hair. This head- 
 dress, singular as it is, does not fail to be 
 pleasing when it decks the head of some 
 pretty blonde. It is naturally less be- 
 coming to ladies of a certain age, when the 
 hair is gray and powdered. Finally, as a 
 
HISTOBICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 mark of feminine piety, girls and young 
 women rarely go forth without holding in 
 the hand a rosary and a book of prayers. 
 
AN ENGLISH LADY. ( 15^." CENTU R Y, ) 
 
AN ENGLISH LADY. 
 
 FIFTEENTH CENTURY. 
 
 'his costume be- 
 longs to the close 
 of the fifteenth cen- 
 tury, and is one of the 
 most elegant of this epoch. This 
 ' noble lady wears over her breast 
 an article of attire of a peculiar 
 fashion, which was very generally 
 adopted about the end of the fif- 
 teenth and the beginning of the sixteenth 
 centuries. Her dress is also characterized 
 by the long, trailing sleeves of the chemise, 
 similar in mode to those of the men of the 
 times. 
 
A GERMAN FALCONER. 
 
A GEEMAN FALCONEE. 
 
 HE chase was, of all 
 others, the amuse- 
 ment for which the 
 i -^northern nations of Europe 
 had the strongest attach- 
 ment, and which, together with the 
 ^right of wearing the sword, con- 
 stituted their dearest privilege. 
 Frederic II, Emperor of Germany, himself 
 composed a treatise upon the nature of birds, 
 and the care they required. In this treatise 
 the modes of raising birds of prey, such as 
 the sparrow-hawk and the falcon, are ex- 
 plained in full. 
 
 This costume is taken from a precious 
 
SISTOSJGAL COSTUMES. 
 
 manuscript preserved in the Library of the 
 Vatican. It would appear that the hvery 
 of this falconer was common to all those 
 employed in the imperial chase. The white 
 bonnet is furnished with red cords. Bands, 
 alternately violet, white and green, cross the 
 coat, all of which are embroidered with red. 
 The coat is open from the girdle down, as 
 well as in the upper part to allow the head 
 to pass through, but is closed over the breast 
 by buttons. The under-sleeves are blue, 
 with black cords. The hose are brown. 
 The glove of the hand upon which the falcon 
 is borne is gray. The violet hat, which 
 hangs over the shoulders, is held by a red 
 cord. The belt or girdle, which carries a 
 green bag, is black. He holds a bird's wing, 
 decked with a piece of scarlet ribbon, as an 
 emblem of his employment. 
 
 10 
 

 GERMAN PEASANT 
 
 
A YOUNG GERMAN PEASANT WOMAN. 
 
 'HIS dress is so sim- 
 ple that no descrip- 
 tion is needed. It is 
 taken from the great German 
 work on costume by Kretscli- 
 mer. 
 
 The custom of drawing to- 
 gether the outer garment in front 
 so as to form a graceful drape ly on 
 the back, was long practised by the Ger- 
 man peasantry, and has not yet fallen en- 
 tirely into disuse. The colors of the differ- 
 ent garments, as represented in the plate, 
 are those most generally adopted by the 
 
 peasants. 
 
 11 
 
, ^v. 
 
 A YOUNG ITALIAN GIRL. 
 
A rOUNG ITALIAN GIEL. 
 
 is easy to per- 
 ceive, by observing 
 the ancient paint- 
 ings and the monuments of 
 the Renaissance, that the young 
 ItaHan girls retained, even in the 
 thirteenth and fourteenth centu- 
 ries, the custom of allowing the hair 
 to grow, and of permitting it to float 
 freely upon the shoulders, after the manner 
 of the early Lombards. This mode was 
 even employed as a sign of distinction be- 
 tween married women and young girls. 
 
 As to the dress of women in general, after 
 the poverty of the earlier ages was succeeded 
 
 12 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 by an excessive degree of magnificence, there 
 arose so many variations that it is difficult 
 to make a choice among the nmnerous cos- 
 tumes which fill the pictures of this epoch. 
 
 The figure here represented, which is 
 taken from a painting of Pinturicchio, has 
 so much of the character of a portrait that 
 there can be little doubt of the authenticity 
 of the costume depicted. The robe imitates, 
 in its mode of adjustment, the drapery of 
 the antique statues; it is without sleeves, 
 and is secured upon the shoulders by golden 
 clasps; it is of a violet color. The bodice, 
 the sleeves and the stockings are woven of 
 a tissue of gold. A small, yellowish veil, 
 from which her black locks escape and float 
 upon the shoulders, partly covers the top 
 of the head. In other paintings, this cos- 
 tume is repeated with the addition of a light, 
 
 12 
 
BISTOmCAL COSTUMES. 
 
 rose-colored or violet scarf, which passes 
 around the neck, floats gracefully over the 
 shoulders, and is tied upon the back. 
 
 12 
 
A JUGGLER 
 
A JUGGLER. 
 
 "HE figure here rep- 
 resented was taken 
 from a manuscript of 
 the "Roman de la Rose," pre- 
 served in the Royal Library at 
 Brussels. 
 
 The jugglers occupied them- 
 selves by turns with sleight of hand 
 performances, with dances, with 
 poetry, with music, etc. 
 
 18 
 
A YOUNG DUCHESS 13'" CENTURY, 
 
A YOUNG DUCHESS. 
 
 THIRTEENTH CENTURY. 
 
 HE accompanying 
 rich and elegant cos- 
 tume has been ex- 
 sf -Attracted from a picture by 
 the Due de Seyde, who 
 died, in the flower of his years, a 
 i^victim to his passion for art. He 
 was celebrated both as painter 
 and engraver. At once the friend 
 and rival of Albert Durer, a noble emula- 
 tion led them often to treat the same sub- 
 jects, and the friendship which united 
 them was expressed by a frequent inter- 
 change of their works. The picture from 
 which the present costume has been copied 
 
 14 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 is one of the most precious oi'iiaments of 
 the Academy of Fine Arts at Pisa. 
 
 The young Duchess who is here repre- 
 sented wears upon her head a small white 
 hood covered with a black bonnet, edged 
 with gold; upon this rests a golden crown. 
 The chemisette is white, trimmed with a 
 light band of gold, and closed at the neck 
 with a golden button. Through the open- 
 ing of the chemisette may be seen the neck 
 of the chemise, which is edged with lace. 
 The under-dress is black, ornamented with 
 pearls across the breast and over the shoul- 
 ders. She wears a little medal attached to 
 a red cord passing around the neck. The 
 outer robe is of golden brocade, the open- 
 ing on the side of which is brought together 
 by rich clasps, permitting the under-skirt to 
 be seen. A golden chain is thrown about 
 
 14 
 
HISTOBICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 the shoulders, and hangs low in front. The 
 large sleeves are made of some light ma- 
 terial of a yellowish hue, changing to a lake 
 color, and are fastened at the shoulders by 
 two black lacets, permitting the chemise to 
 be seen. The under-sleeves, of red velvet, 
 are tight, but fuller around the hands, which 
 they partly cover; they also have slashes 
 upon the arms, which are laced with small 
 white lacets, allowing another white sleeve 
 to be seen beneath. A blue girdle with 
 red cords, clasped with a rich cameo, sur- 
 rounds the waist. The shoes are black. 
 
 14 
 
AYOUNG NOBLEMAN 
 
A YOUNG NOBLEMAK 
 
 HIS costume is re- 
 markable for the 
 fulness of the sleeves, 
 and for the stripes of pinking 
 over the body of the coat. This 
 fulness, and the lavish use of 
 bells, indicate a dress designed 
 for a festal occasion, as well as the 
 high rank of the wearer. The 
 head-dress consists of a twisted turban of 
 gay colors, decked with high feathers. 
 
 15 
 
A ladV an d a gallant 
 
A LADY AND A GALLANT. 
 
 1795. 
 
 ^HE most noticeable 
 features in the cos- 
 tume of the gallant 
 i which the plate represents 
 are the excessively high cra- 
 vat, the variegated hose, the short 
 !*waist of the coat, and the dupli- 
 cate fob-chains. The extravagance 
 of the costume in these particulars 
 beyond that which is common to the time, 
 together with the great length of the hair, 
 gives the character something of a dandy- 
 ish appearance. This effect is still further 
 heightened by a striking contrast of colors. 
 
 16 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 The lady, as represented in the plate, is 
 more modestly and tastefully dressed, the 
 costume bearing a slight resemblance to one 
 of the styles now in vogue. 
 
 These figures are taken from Kretschmer. 
 
 16 
 
AGNES SOREL 
 
AGNES SOREL. 
 
 'GNES SOREL, or 
 Soreau, mistress of 
 Charles VII, King 
 of France, was born in the 
 village of Fromenteau, in Tou- 
 raine. She was the daughter of 
 the Seigneur Saint-Geraud, a 
 nobleman attached to the house of 
 the Count de Clermont. With the 
 advantages of an elaborate education added 
 to her natural gifts, she came, as maid-of- 
 honor to the Duchess d'Anjou, to the court 
 of France in the year 1431. Agnes, who 
 was called the Maid of Fromenteau, was 
 then in the full bloom of her beauty, and 
 
 17 
 
EISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 easily captivated the heart of the King. In 
 order to attach her to his court, he conferred 
 upon her the position of maid-of-honor to 
 the Queen. 
 
 The Enghsh were then masters of half the 
 kingdom of France. Charles, though nat- 
 urally brave, had fallen into a profound 
 apathy in consequence of a feebleness of 
 character which unfitted him for the struggle 
 against misfortune. Agnes alone succeeded 
 in recalling him to a sense of what was due 
 to his own glory and that of his people. 
 
 She died in Normandy, whither she had 
 
 gone to warn the King of a conspiracy. 
 
 11 
 
A PEASANT OF HALLAU. 
 
 HE peasant of Hal- 
 lau wears a large, 
 black, three-cornered 
 felt hat, and in addition, dur- 
 ing the winter, a black bonnet 
 or leathern cap, which he also 
 wears at work when he has not 
 . his hat. This bonnet, once put on, 
 is rarely removed from his head. 
 Around his neck he wears a black silk cra- 
 vat, which is tied on the nape of the neck. 
 The jacket or short coat is made of linen, 
 or sometimes of some woolen or cotton ma- 
 terial. It is only in winter that he wears, 
 
 as here represented, a kind of scarlet waist- 
 is 
 
EISTORIGAL COSTUMES. 
 
 coat, with white or yellow metal buttons. 
 Above this waistcoat (and in summer im- 
 mediately over the shirt) may be seen the 
 gallowses, an indispensable feature in the 
 costume of the inhabitant of this district; 
 these are sometimes of silk, and sometimes, 
 as here, of leather. The puffed trowsers, 
 known under the name of plump-hosen, are 
 made of black woolen or cotton goods; they 
 are very full, and hang in numerous folds. 
 The knit woolen or cotton stockings are 
 fastened to the trowsers. In place of 
 buckles, the shoes have leather strings, cov- 
 ered by a strip of leather of the same 
 length as the shoes. 
 
 18 
 
-I'r 
 
 A YOUNG LADY, ICOSTUMEOF FRANCE a H O LLAN D, 
 14" a ISn" CENTURY. 
 
A YOUNG LADY. 
 
 COSTUME OF FRANCE AND HOLLAND IN THE FOUETEENTH 
 AND FIFTEENTH CENTDRIES. 
 
 HE young woman 
 who figures in the 
 accompanying plate 
 f^:i^ holds in her hand a feather 
 y of the peacock. In the 
 
 fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, 
 Hhe peacock, the pheasant and the 
 heron were to the chevaliers of 
 the time what the Styx was to the gods of 
 fable. 
 
 Whenever an important enterprise was 
 undertaken, a peacock or a pheasant, some- 
 times roasted, but always arrayed in its 
 
 19 
 
BISTOEIGAL COSTUMES. 
 
 most beautiful plumage, was carried with 
 great solemnity, by married ladies or maid- 
 ens, in a large silver or golden basin, into 
 the midst of the numerous assembly of 
 knights. It was presented in turn to each 
 chevalier, and each one made his vow over 
 the bird; it was then placed upon the table 
 to be distributed to all who assisted in the 
 ceremony. 
 
 The figure here given, taken from a 
 painting of Lucas de Seyde, will serve as 
 a type of the general costume of the women 
 of France, Holland and Italy during the 
 fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. 
 
 The head-dress of this young woman con- 
 sists of a kind of turban, of a rose color. 
 The middle band is black, as well as the 
 small bonnet which falls over her ears; the 
 border of the bonnet is of gold, and the 
 
 19 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 embroideries of silver. A light, white veil 
 covers her forehead, envelops a lock of hair 
 under the ear, and, passing back over the 
 turban, is tied upon the top, leaving the 
 end to float over the shoulders. The chem- 
 isette is white, and is adorned with golden 
 buttons and embroideries. The robe is of 
 some green material, and is enriched with 
 trimmings and fillets of gold. The short 
 sleeve is bound by a lacet and some golden 
 ornaments. The under-sleeve is of crim- 
 son velvet, through the openings of which 
 is seen the chemise. The slash under the 
 arm is laced by two small black cords. 
 The cloak is white, changing to a blue, and 
 is ornamented with a golden border. The 
 girdle is violet, and the hose are black. 
 
 19 
 
V 
 
 A WOMAN OF ISTRIA. 
 
A WOMAN OF ISTEIA. 
 
 'HE costume of the 
 
 Istrians is subject to 
 
 frequent modifications, 
 
 but its general character is as 
 
 follows: 
 
 The men wear a low, black 
 felt hat, with so narrow a brim 
 that it affords no protection from 
 either the sun or the rain. Their 
 hair is cropped short. Over a shirt with a 
 narrow collar they don a short white jacket, 
 of coarse woolen cloth, the sleeves of which 
 are turned back to the shoulder. Their 
 trowsers are black, or of white and brown 
 stripes, and are tied below the knee. Most 
 
 20 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 of them carry at the girdle a pouch, into 
 which they place all sorts of knick-knacks. 
 Their stockings are generally of white 
 worsted, and their shoes are of undressed 
 leather. 
 
 The women, both in summer and winter, 
 wear gowns of white linen; over which in 
 the cold season, which is of short duration, 
 they throw an over-garment of some dark 
 material. The hair is combed back over the 
 head, which is covered with a turban of 
 white linen, so twisted that one end of this 
 head-gear falls upon the left shoulder. The 
 chemise covers the entire neck, and falls in 
 numerous folds. Their shoes are of a pecu- 
 liar form. They wear about their waist a 
 girdle, within which they are fond of setting 
 a posy of flowers. To this girdle also is 
 attached the distaff, which is the indispensa- 
 
 20 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 ble companion of these women. Along the 
 sea-coast thej may be seen daily, riding to 
 market on asses, spinning the thread and 
 gayly singing on their route. 
 
 20 
 
A SCOTTISH CHIEF, (TIME OF ROBERT BRUCE.) 
 
A SCOTTISH CHIEF. 
 
 TIME OF EDTVAED I, AND EOBEBT BRUCE. 
 
 I HE representation 
 of a ship with clouds 
 flying above, on the 
 i buckler of this warrior, leads 
 us to conjecture that this 
 personage was a descendant of the 
 'ancient kings of the Norwegian 
 race ; a lord of the isles. The 
 "lion rampant" at the base of 
 the shield, surrounded by a kind of plait, 
 denotes some affiliation with the kings of 
 Scotland; and this last circumstance may 
 lead to the discovery of the name of the 
 Chief. The costume agrees perfectly with 
 
 21 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 the idea which we form of the Scottish 
 warriors before their league with France, 
 as Froissart describes them. This historian 
 says that they were very imperfectly cov- 
 ered with defensive armor prior to the time 
 of Charles YI, who sent to their aid a body 
 of French knights, together with the suits 
 of mail obtained by the disarmament of 
 seditious Parisians. 
 
 The chief here represented leans upon 
 a lance; upon his head he wears a small 
 linen coif, such as distinguished most of the 
 Anglo-Saxon warriors long before the epoch 
 in question. The form of his buckler, as 
 well as that of his large sword, belongs to 
 the time and the reign above mentioned. 
 The purse which he carries is also an ev- 
 idence of the antiquity of this costume. 
 The shell is a kind of trumpet carried for 
 
 21 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 the purpose of sounding the appeal of his 
 clan. This figure was copied after a large 
 effigy on a monument which was found 
 behind the church at lona or IcolmkiU. 
 
 21 
 
CMJNG VLNETIAN GLNTl.FIMAN 
 
 l.i I ■' X IS '" cr I ITU R-i 
 
A YOUNG VENETIAN OF RANK. 
 
 LATTEK PART OF THE EOURTEENTH OENTUET. 
 
 'T is supposed that 
 the origin and even 
 the liberty of the 
 famous republic of Venice 
 date back beyond the Middle 
 Ages, and the Venetians boast 
 of never having at any period 
 ^ been subject to the yoke of the bar- 
 barians. 
 
 The costume of a young Venetian, here 
 represented, though more common, near 
 the close of the fourteenth century, to the 
 young nobles of other countries than Italy, 
 .belonged especially to this most opulent and 
 
 22 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 gallant of all cities, this Yeneizia la hella, 
 whose lagoons were so gay with rich gon- 
 dolas, and with vestments of silk, of velvet, 
 and of gold. 
 
 The representation of a young Venetian 
 here given is taken from a picture of Crivelli, 
 preserved in the gallery of Biera at Milan. 
 His head is covered by a bonnet of scarlet 
 wool, such as was generally worn by the 
 young men of the time. The small velvet 
 cloak, of a lake color, is lined with similar 
 material, but of a green color, edged with 
 gold; the border of the cloak about the 
 neck, above which is se$n the edge of the 
 shirt-collar, is also of gold. The cloak, 
 which is not, as in many similar costumes, 
 open on the side, is thrown up on the left 
 shoulder, and partly covers the right hand. 
 The collar-band is of gold, and is enriched 
 
 22 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 with rows of pearls and precious stones. 
 The doublet is sky-blue, ornamented with sil- 
 ver flower-work; the crimson velvet sleeve, 
 dashed with gold, open from the wrist to 
 the elbow, shows the shirt beneath, and is 
 brought together by red lacets. The slash 
 in the side of the doublet is adorned with a 
 braid stitched with gold. The border below 
 consists of a band of gold lace, ornamented 
 with embroidered work of a lake color. The 
 girdle is of green velvet, edged with gold. 
 The hose are made of scarlet cloth; the 
 shoes are red, and are laced with a yellow 
 cord; or yellow, laced with a red cord. The 
 lance bears a streamer, which is white above 
 and red below. 
 
 22 
 
NOBLE LADV OF M I LAN.( l5^."CENTURy.) 
 
A LADY OF EANK OF MILAN. 
 
 CLOSE OF THE EIFTEENTH CENTUET. 
 
 ' HIS elegant costume 
 is taken from a min- 
 iature which, with 
 1 others, ornaments a small 
 book of prayers. The exe- 
 cution and finish of these precious 
 ^paintings leave no room for doubt 
 concerning the epoch to which 
 they belong. The date may be 
 fixed as near the close of the fifteenth cen- 
 tury. 
 
 This lady has her head dressed with a 
 small white bonnet, bordered with pearls 
 and enriched with precious stones. The 
 
 23 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 cloak is red, with golden embroideries and 
 green lining. The outer robe is made of 
 some white material, bordered with gold 
 and having a lining of a lake color. The 
 inner robe is blue. The stockings are crim- 
 son, and are adorned with golden spangles. 
 The sleeves belong to the outer robe; they 
 have a lining of a lake color, and are bor- 
 dered with gold. The small cord which 
 passes over the forehead, and is adorned 
 with a precious stone, is black; the hair is 
 allowed to fall unconfined. 
 
 The ladies of this period, as many of 
 the contemporary paintings show, were in 
 the habit of carrying their book of prayers 
 in a kind of a silken or velvet bag, richly 
 ■ worked. The noblewoman here represent- 
 ed holds her book open upon this envelop- 
 ment, which is here of crimson velvet. 
 
 23 
 
"-^ss:*?" 
 
 A SOLDIER. 
 
A VENETIAlSr SOLDIER 
 
 'LTHOUGH the 
 
 mediasval military 
 costumes were as 
 as are those of our 
 May, yet styles not materially dif- 
 ferent from that of the Venetian 
 soldier we have here given are 
 'found in the old illuminated books of 
 many of the European nations. This 
 soldier, though doubly armed, has on but 
 comparatively httle armor, which was falhng 
 gradually into disuse at this time. The dress 
 consists of a jacket and breeches, which 
 are made very full, and bound down with 
 bands at short distances, forming puffs. 
 
 24 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 These puffs are slashed, displaying the un- 
 dei'-garments, which are white. The long 
 feather, which is a marked feature of this 
 dress, does not vary from it in color, which 
 was sometimes of a bright red, and at oth- 
 ers of a deep orange. 
 
 24 
 
A I.ADY IN THT ':, U 1 I Ol Tl-I T Ij /'.LI PI 1 1 1 I C i ■' Al IV E R r, n ET , 
 
A LADY 
 
 BELONGING TO THE SUITE OF THE DATJPHINESS D'AUTERGNE. 
 
 HE costume here re- 
 presented, of a lady 
 in the suite of Anne 
 ^'"^ D'Auvergne, wife of Louis II, 
 Due de Bourbon, is copied from 
 an armorial record of Auvergne. 
 This lady came to the court of 
 j^->-^^France with the Dauphiness in 1371. 
 It was in the fourteenth century 
 that the custom began of blazoning armorial 
 bearings upon the dress; but it was not till 
 the reign of Charles V that the custom 
 became general in Prance. 
 
 25 
 
_,JSteaM^ 
 
 MEDIAEVAL M I LITARY C O ST U M E . 
 
A MILITARY COSTUME. 
 
 FIFTEENTH AND SIXTEENTH CENTUBIES. 
 
 HE figure from 
 which this costume 
 is copied has too 
 '~\ ''^' much of the character of 
 a portrait to permit of any un- 
 certainty concerning its authen- 
 ticity. Although of a much later 
 date, it has, nevertheless, some of 
 the traits peculiar to certain cos- 
 tumes in the paintings of Giotto, preserved 
 in the Campo Santo of Pisa. 
 
 His head is protected by a kind of white 
 bonnet or hat. He wears a dress open on 
 the sides, made of an earth-colored cloth, 
 
 26 
 
EISTORIOAL COSTUMES. 
 
 with a turned-down collar of black velvet. 
 He is armed with a sabre suspended from a 
 leather strap. The scabbard is black, with 
 gilded furnishings. The hose are of a red- 
 dish yellow color, and the boots are black, 
 with white reversed tops. 
 
 The picture from which this is taken 
 represents the Crucifixion; it is by Michael 
 of Verona, and bears the date MDI. 
 
 26 
 
PEASANT WOMAN OF THE CANTON FRIBOURG. 
 
A PEASANT WOMAN 
 
 OP THE CANTON OF TEIBOFEG, IN FESTAL HABIT. 
 
 'HIS costume differs 
 in every respect from 
 that of the French or 
 Romance peasants. The head 
 is dressed in a black bonnet or 
 cap, surmounted with a crown 
 of artificial flowers of various 
 ' colors, grouped harmoniously, and 
 bound by a silver cord. The hair is 
 parted upon the forehead, and falls behind 
 in two free, floating masses, confined by a 
 ribbon varying from scarlet to green. 
 
 Around the neck is an antique linen ruff 
 of a bluish tint. A fine black or deep 
 
 27 
 
EISTORIGAL COSTUMES. 
 
 brown under-waist, garnished with black 
 velvet ribbons, covers the arms and the 
 shoulders in winter, while in summer beau- 
 tiful white linen sleeves, with lace ruffles, 
 extend from a scarlet bodice, from which 
 hangs a petticoat of the same color. Above 
 the ruffs that surround the neck they wear 
 a black neck-piece of cut velvet, adorned 
 with black velvet ribbons. The corselet is 
 laced over the breast with ribbons of vari- 
 ous colors, mingled with silver and gold; 
 and over this a silver chain, upon which is 
 hung a silver box of an oval shape, which 
 is called Agnus Dei, and which is more or 
 less richly worked, according to the fortune 
 of the wearer. A black silk apron, tied be- 
 hind by a large ribbon worked with varie- 
 gated flowers, or with silver and gold, after 
 the manner of a scarf, completes this singu- 
 
 27 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 larly rich apparel, which, upon a beautiful 
 person, shows to fine effect, and which be- 
 sides recalls forcibly the costumes of the ' 
 fifteenth century. 
 
 The dressing of the feet and legs is very 
 ordinary, consisting of white stockings, and 
 black shoes with large silver or leather 
 buckles. Pointed heels have grown into 
 gradual disuse. Only young girls have the 
 privilege of wearing the crown. Married 
 women are dressed in all respects like 
 maidens, except that the black cap is not 
 set off with the crown. 
 
 27 
 
A CAVA LIE R. 
 
A CAYALIEE. 
 
 SBTENTEENTH OENTtTET. 
 
 ^RESS at this epoch 
 had undergone great 
 changes in many of 
 rf ^the countries of Europe. 
 Boots were beginning to 
 be very generally used, and the 
 trunks" or breeches, which for 
 some time had been short, were 
 now extended below the knee. The small 
 cloak which had been previously- worn 
 across the back was now placed on the 
 left shoulder. The hair was worn long 
 and curled; large collars edged with lace, 
 and even lace trimmings to the boots, were 
 
 28 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 much in vogue. The cane, which afterwards 
 came into such general use, appeared about 
 this time. The exact style of costume here 
 represented prevailed more particularly in 
 France about the time of Richelieu. 
 
 28 
 
A YO U N G ITALIAN LA D ^' 12 a O 
 
A YOUNG ITALIAN LADY. 
 
 "FTER observing the 
 ancient paintings, it 
 is easy to perceive that, 
 if the costume of women in gen- 
 eral justified the passage of laws 
 to restrain their too great mag- 
 nificence of dress, nevertheless 
 the costume of young gii-ls always 
 united modesty with richness, and 
 ought to disarm the most severe censors. 
 Ambroise Lorenzetti did not deem the cos- 
 tume here represented unworthy to deck 
 the blessed ones in his picture of The Last 
 Judgment; it is from this work that the 
 accompanying figure is taken. 
 
 29 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 The outer robe is of a rose color, and is 
 edged with gold. The under-dress is bright 
 blue, and permits the collar of the chemise 
 to show. The sleeves open from the elbow 
 to the wrist, edged and laced with a golden 
 cord, showing another white sleeve beneath. 
 
 The hair, though held back by a small 
 chain, falls free upon her shoulders, as was 
 then the custom with all young girls before 
 their marriage. 
 
 The shoes are of blue velvet, embroidered 
 with gold. 
 
 Ricordano Malespini, the historian, con- 
 trasts the richness of this costume with the 
 dress of the Florentines prior to the year 
 1260: 
 
 "Then the inhabitants of Florence were 
 sober; their food was simple and inexpen- 
 sive, but their manners were good. They 
 
 29 
 
HISTORICAL COSTUMES. 
 
 did not despise the coarsest stuffs for their 
 dress, or for that of their wives. Many even 
 covered themselves with simple skins and 
 plain bonnets. A narrow petticoat made 
 of a coarse material of goat's hair, of a 
 scarlet color, and gathered around the waist 
 by a leathern girdle, having a buckle a 
 V antique; a cloak lined with minever, with 
 a hood at the back — such was the dress with 
 which the' women were content." 
 
 29 
 
A FRENCH NOBLEMAN, II365J 
 
A FRENCH NOBLEMAN. 
 
 1365. 
 
 "OWARD the end of 
 the reign of King 
 John fashionable gen- 
 tlemen began to pink the bor- 
 ders of their robes; but under 
 Charles V this became the rage, 
 and continued into the fifteenth 
 century. The fashion continued 
 also of wearing long half sleeves, 
 appendages embroidered with gold, or long 
 ribbons reaching to the ground. Under 
 Charles Y the ipitoge, or presidential cap, 
 was laid aside, and in its place were sub- 
 stituted two wide qjaulieres, or shoulder- 
 so 
 
EISTORIGAL COSTUMES. 
 
 pieces, which formed at the same time false 
 sleeves and a false collar. The queue of the 
 hood, greatly lengthened during the reign 
 of King John, and after his death, was 
 prolonged till it reached the ground, in the 
 form of a cord, which was sometimes tied 
 around the head. There were also in fash- 
 ion certain kinds of cardinals or pelisses, 
 with several queues, or pinked in various 
 ways, and worn often on the shoulders. 
 Noblemen ordinarily wore chapes, or caps; 
 for great occasions they wore a large cloak 
 open on the right, or having two slits from 
 the breast down, and furnished with an 
 epitoge. Armorial bearings were very little 
 used except on state occasions; people con- 
 tented themselves with taking the armorial 
 colors for their ordinary garments; hence 
 suits of two and sometimes three colors. 
 
 30