For Your Entertainment
Research for this book has thrown up a surplus of interesting facts, some of which are shared here, for your amusement.
Sumptuary Laws from the Statutes of King Henry VIII and Queen Mary I
For Him … – None shall wear in his apparel:
Any silk of the colour of purple, cloth of gold tissued, nor fur of sables, but only the King, Queen, King’s mother, children, brethren, and sisters, uncles and aunts; and except dukes, marquises, and earls, who may wear the same in doublets, jerkins, linings of cloaks, gowns, and hose; and those of the Garter, purple in mantles only.
Cloth of gold, silver, tinseled satin, silk, or cloth mixed or embroidered with any gold or silver: except all degrees above viscounts, and viscounts, barons, and other persons of like degree, in doublets, jerkins, linings of cloaks, gowns, and hose.
Woolen cloth made out of the realm, but in caps only; velvet, crimson, or scarlet; furs, black genets, lucerns; embroidery or tailor’s work having gold or silver or pearl therein: except dukes, marquises, earls, and their children, viscounts, barons, and knights being companions of the Garter, or any person being of the Privy Council.
Velvet in gowns, coats, or other uttermost garments; fur of leopards; embroidery with any silk: except men of the degrees above mentioned, barons’ sons, knights and gentlemen in ordinary office attendant upon her majesty’s person, and such as have been employed in embassages to foreign princes.
Caps, hats, hatbands, capbands, garters, or boothose trimmed with gold or silver or pearl; silk netherstocks; enameled chains, buttons, aglets: except men of the degrees above mentioned, the gentlemen attending upon the Queen’s person in her highness’s Privy chamber or in the office of cupbearer, carver, sewer [server], esquire for the body, gentlemen ushers, or esquires of the stable.
Satin, damask, silk, camlet, or taffeta in gown, coat, hose, or uppermost garments; fur whereof the kind groweth not in the Queen’s dominions, except foins, grey genets, and budge: except the degrees and persons above mentioned, and men that may dispend £100 by the year, and so valued in the subsidy book.
Hat, bonnet, girdle, scabbards of swords, daggers, etc.; shoes and pantofles of velvet: except the degrees and persons above names and the son and heir apparent of a knight.
Silk other than satin, damask, taffeta, camlet, in doublets; and sarcanet, camlet, or taffeta in facing of gowns and cloaks, and in coats, jackets, jerkins, coifs, purses being not of the color scarlet, crimson, or blue; fur of foins, grey genets, or other as the like groweth not in the Queen’s dominions: except men of the degrees and persons above mentioned, son of a knight, or son and heir apparent of a man of 300 marks land by the year, so valued in the subsidy books, and men that may dispend £40 by the year, so valued ut supra.
None shall wear spurs, swords, rapiers, daggers, skeans, woodknives, or hangers, buckles or girdles, gilt, silvered or damasked: except knights and barons’ sons, and others of higher degree or place, and gentlemen in ordinary office attendant upon the Queen’s majesty’s person; which gentlemen so attendant may wear all the premises saving gilt, silvered, or damasked spurs.
None shall wear in their trappings or harness of their horse any studs, buckles, or other garniture gilt, silvered, or damasked; nor stirrups gilt, silvered, or damasked; nor any velvet in saddles or horse trappers: except the persons next before mentioned and others of higher degree, and gentlemen in ordinary, ut supra.
Note that the Lord Chancellor, Treasurer, President of the council, Privy Seal, may wear any velvet, satin, or other silks except purple, and furs black except black genets.
These may wear as they have heretofore used, viz. any of the King’s council, justices of either bench, Barons of the Exchequer, Master of the Rolls, sergeants at law, Masters of the Chancery, of the Queen’s council, apprentices of law, physicians of the King, queen, and Prince, mayors and other head officers of any towns corporate, Barons of the Five Ports, except velvet, damask, [or] satin of the color crimson, violet, purple, blue.
Note that her majesty’s meaning is not, by this order, to forbid in any person the wearing of silk buttons, the facing of coats, cloaks, hats and caps, for comeliness only, with taffeta, velvet, or other silk, as is commonly used.
Note also that the meaning of this order is not to prohibit a servant from wearing any cognizance of his master, or henchmen, heralds, pursuivants at arms; runners at jousts, tourneys, or such martial feats, and such as wear apparel given them by the Queen, and such as shall have license from the Queen for the same.
For Her … None shall wear:
Any cloth of gold, tissue, nor fur of sables: except duchesses, marquises, and countesses in their gowns, kirtles, partlets, and sleeves; cloth of gold, silver, tinseled satin, silk, or cloth mixed or embroidered with gold or silver or pearl, saving silk mixed with gold or silver in linings of cowls, partlets, and sleeves: except all degrees above viscountesses, and viscountesses, baronesses, and other personages of like degrees in their kirtles and sleeves.
Velvet (crimson, carnation); furs (black genets, lucerns); embroidery or passment lace of gold or silver: except all degrees above mentioned, the wives of knights of the Garter and of the Privy Council, the ladies and gentlewomen of the privy chamber and bedchamber, and maids of honor.
None shall wear any velvet in gowns, furs of leopards, embroidery of silk: except the degrees and persons above mentioned, the wives of barons’ sons, or of knights.
Cowls, sleeves, partlets, and linings, trimmed with spangles or pearls of gold, silver, or pearl; cowls of gold or silver, or of silk mixed with gold or silver: except the degrees and persons above mentioned; and trimmed with pearl, none under the degree of baroness or like degrees.
Enameled chains, buttons, aglets, and borders: except the degrees before mentioned.
Satin, damask, or tufted taffeta in gowns, kirtles, or velvet in kirtles; fur whereof the kind groweth not within the Queen’s dominions, except foins, grey genets, bodge, and wolf: except the degrees and persons above mentioned, or the wives of those that may dispend £100 by the year and so valued in the subsidy book.
Gowns of silk grosgrain, doubled sarcenet, camlet, or taffeta, or kirtles of satin or damask: except the degrees and persons above mentioned, and the wives of the sons and heirs of knights, and the daughters of knights, and of such as may dispend 300 marks by the year so valued ut supra, and the wives of those that may dispend £40 by the year.
Gentlewomen attendant upon duchesses, marquises, countesses may wear, in their liveries given them by their mistresses, as the wives of those that may dispend £100 by the year and are so valued ut supra.
None shall wear any velvet, tufted taffeta, satin, or any gold or silver in their petticoats: except wives of barons, knights of the order, or councilors’ ladies, and gentlewomen of the privy chamber and bed chamber, and the maids of honor.
Damask, taffeta, or other silk in their petticoats: except knights’ daughters and such as be matched with them in the former article, who shall not wear a guard of any silk upon their petticoats.
Velvet, tufted taffeta, satin, nor any gold or silver in any cloak or safeguard: except the wives of barons, knights of the order, or councilor’s ladies and gentlewomen of the privy chamber and bedchamber, and maids of honour, and the degrees above them.
Damask, taffeta, or other silk in any cloak or safeguard: except knights’ wives, and the degrees and persons above mentioned.
No persons under the degrees above specified shall wear any guard or welt of silk upon any petticoat, cloak, or safeguard.
Elizabethan Recipes for Hair Dye
To colour a blacke haire presently into a Chestnut colour … This is done with oyle of Vitrioll: but, you must doe it verie carefully not touching the skin.
To colour oneself Blonde … Take a pound of finely pulverized beech-wood shavings, half a pound of box-wood shavings, four ounces of fresh liquorice, a similar amount of very yellow, dried lime peel, four ounces each of swallow wort and yellow poppy seeds, two ounces of the leaves and flowers of glaucus, a herb which grows in Syria and is akin to a poppy, half an ounce of saffron and half a pound of paste made from finely ground wheat flour. Put everything into a lye made with sieved wood ashes, bring it partly to the boil and then strain the whole mixture. Now take a large earthenware pot and bore ten or twelve holes in the bottom. Next take equal parts of vine ash and sieved wood ash, shake them into a large wooden vessel or mortar, whichever you think better, moisten them with the said lye, thoroughly pulverize the mixture, taking almost a whole day to do this but make sure that it becomes a bit stiff. Next pound rye and wheat straw in with it until the straw has absorbed the greater part of the lye. Shake these pounded ashes into the said earthenware pot and push an ear of rye into each small hole. Put the straw and ashes in the bottom so that the pot is filled, though still leaving sufficient space for the remainder of the lye to be poured over the mixture. Towards evening set up another earthenware pot and let the lye run into it through the holes with the ears of rye. When you want to use the lotion, take the liquid which ran out, smear your hair with it and let it dry. Within three or four days the hair will look as yellow as if it were golden ducats. However, before you use it wash your head with a good lye, because if it were greasy and dirty it would not take the colour so well. You should note that this preparation will last for a year or two and, if one goes about it properly it can help ten or twelve member of the fairer sex, for very few things will colour the hair.
To Make Ceruse or White Lead Make-up
Take leaden plates, and suspend them over the vapour of very strong vinegar in a vase, which after being heated must be placed in dung for two months; then scrape away the matter that you will find upon the plates, which is the white lead. Do this until the plates are consumed …
Segreti de Colori, fifteenth century
A Pale Complexion …
Make a cream from powdered white chalk or white lead, mixed with white of egg and vinegar. This makes a smooth shiny finish and but be careful not to laugh least your new ‘skin’ should crack.
To soften the skin …
Wash in your own urine, or with rosewater mixed with wine, else make a decoction of the rinds of lemon.
Victorian Beauty?
White Arsenic Face Cream – side effects: headaches, confusion, severe diarrhoea, and drowsiness, vomiting, blood in the urine, cramping muscles, hair loss, stomach pain and convulsions.
Cocaine Tooth Paste – side effects: anxiety, irritability, paranoia, damage to heart, brain, lungs, gastrointestinal tract and kidneys.
Deadly Nightshade Eye Drops – side effects: headache, dizziness, anxiety, sensitivity to light, light-headedness, fatigue, blurred vision, nausea and reduced sweating.
Face lotion – Boil some crumb of bread and roots of mallow in filtered rain-water. When the water is a little reduced, strain it through a clean white cloth, then add a good proportion of yolk of egg and some fresh cream. Stir it well, and perfume it with orange-flower-water.
This lotion has to be made fresh every time it is used. It does not do to apply it even the next day, as it will have turned sour. Plantain-water is equally to be recommended.
‘Spring, river, and rain water seem to me the first and best of all cosmetics, excellent for every skin. The rather oily juices of melon and of cucumber suit dry skins. Strawberry-juice is good for greasy skins. An infusion of lavender or of marjoram will give tone to a soft skin.’
Face Powder – home-made face powder … Take a new earthenware pot and fill it with six quarts of water and 2½ lbs. of rice; leave the rice to soak for twenty-four hours, and then pour the water off. Put the same quantity of water over the rice for three days running. After the three immersions, each lasting twenty-four hours, drain the rice over a new hair-sieve kept for the purpose. Expose it to the air in a safe place, on a clean white cloth. As soon as it is dry, pound it quite fine with a pestle in a very clean marble mortar with a cover. Then strain it through a fine white cloth placed carefully over the pot which is to hold it, and which ought to be provided with a tight-fitting cover. This powder is better without perfume.
If you run short of home-made powder, you can replace it safely by oatmeal-flour, of which you must take very little at a time on your puff. If you buy your rice-powder, be careful not to choose it perfumed with orris-root, should your skin be inclined to be irritable.
You should never leave your puffs lying about; they should be kept in separate clean china boxes.
Hair Dye – for those women who will not reconcile themselves to wearing their own grey or white hair. Very strong tea dyes light hair which is becoming grey a tolerably good light chestnut. Chicory, in a brown and oily paste, is also a dye for light hair. It should be prepared in a strong decoction. Iron nails steeped in tea for fifteen days will make another dark dye. The dyes of which the base is lead or silver are extremely dangerous. Not only do they bring on baldness but they bring on mischief in brain and eyesight.
Victorian Advice
The section is based on The Lady’s Dressing Room Part III, by Baroness Staff, trans. Lady Colin Campbell, 1893.
Obesity
A stout woman should not wear a tailor-made dress. It marks the outline too decidedly, and throws every pound of flesh into relief. She must deny herself bows and rosettes of ribbon at the waist, both back and front, as this adornment adds to its size. She ought not to wear short sleeves, as the upper part of her arm is sure to be too fat and look like a ham. A ruffle round the throat will not suit her, nor a very high and tight collar. She ought to have her dress slightly open in a point in the front, or her collar a little turned back. A feather boa is the only one which will not shorten her neck too much. Short basques will make her look ridiculously stout.
Wearing the hair low down will not be becoming to her. She ought to dress it high up on her head, without dragging it too tight; the front should not be plastered down. A certain carelessness in arranging her hair will be best for her, and she must not oil it too much. Patterns with large flowers, or large or small checks, must be avoided for her mantles and dresses. Stripes and plain materials, or small patterns in one colour, are all that she can allow herself and she should wear dark shades.
Few jewels, no pearls round her throat, no earrings, and only as many rings as are indispensable. Sleeves high on the shoulder and with tight cuffs must also be avoided, and she should not wear tight gloves.
Thinness
An angular form and a want of flesh that displays the skeleton under the skin are considered a disgrace in a woman, more especially as a bad complexion nearly always goes with them. It requires courage to listen to the fun people make of a thin woman. Excessive thinness is sometimes joined to an unpleasant temper – a fact mentioned because it is curable. People of this temperament torment themselves; they are busybodies, plaguing themselves and everybody else; they are excitable, impatient, always fussing about. All feminine grace disappears in such an existence.
Fuss is not activity; but a well-ordered activity is advantageous to beauty, to health, to a wisely-regulated life. A thin woman generally has a muddy complexion, because she is often-vulgarly, but truly, speaking-making bad blood. It is her own fault if she does not become pink and white, and rounded in form.
Looking Young
If you wish to keep always young, you must be amiable. A serene face, a sweet expression, a kind and gentle look: these are like a day in spring, and the smile on the lips is a ray of sunshine. Discontented people, always look ten years older than they are. The face gets wrinkled by frowning, pouting causes the mouth to protrude disagreeably, and they rapidly grow old and ugly. Compare with them a woman with a cheerful face; all her features are in their right place, her mouth curves delightfully, benevolence softens the expression of her eyes, and goodness beams from her smooth brow. She is perhaps older than the ill-tempered woman whom you see beside her, but she will always look like her younger sister.
It is alleged that women of a certain age do well to practise gymnastic exercises. But this would be very unbecoming to them. If they want to use their arms, why should they not do household work, as was lately prescribed to a northern queen, who followed this sensible medical advice? With the hands protected by gloves, one can dust, brush, and sweep to one’s heart’s content. This is a sufficient and useful form of gymnastics, natural and healthy, and not ridiculous, like the former.
There is no doubt that the body should be exercised and the limbs kept active. But, above all, we should be cheerful, or at least serene. As we advance in life, let us try to improve ourselves more and more, and to be kind and tolerant. A benevolent disposition and a certain calmness of mind are among the indispensable conditions for preserving good-looks. In mature age, let us put away all pretensions to juvenility. A dowager in a décolleté tulle dress, with nothing on her head, is hideous, almost odious. It is her part to wear heavy and rich materials; she should cover her head with a lace mantilla, and her thin shoulders should be draped. A grandmother dressed like her granddaughter, or even like her daughter, is a horrible sight.
She should still, however, continue to love youth in others, to welcome it with pleasure, and to smile upon it. In short, it is stupid to be afraid of the coming years, and which will come all the same. Let us accept our age. An octogenarian who continues to take care of her person can still be beautiful, charming, beloved by her children and her friends, young and old.
The secret of vanquishing old age is not to be afraid of it, nor to shrink from facing the advancing years.
It is, not to resort to absurd, stupid, and dangerous tricks, in the vain hope of retarding it.
It is, to give up a youthful attire, which only makes people look older when it does not suit them.
It is, to keep a kind heart for the young, to like them without being jealous of them.
It is, to retire from the struggle with dignity, not trying to rival your daughters.
It is, to surround oneself with true and gentle affection, which keep the heart green.
It is, to keep up our interest in the questions of the day; to take a delight in talking of great discoveries, of beautiful inventions; not to deny the progress of things, and not to try to make out that the old times were better than the new.
It is, to give advice with gentleness, and not to imagine that years have taught you everything.
It is, to be good and beneficent, in heart and word and deed.
It is, to take more pains than ever with your person. If you neglect any of the little habits of neatness, decrepitude will come on all the faster; and an old person who is careless and untidy presents a far more repulsive appearance than a young one, though such negligence is to be reprehended at all ages.
Finally, it is to wear handsome dresses, rich but simple, without pretension, comfortable, but not necessarily without grace.
Be assured that under these circumstances men and women may overcome old age, and be a pleasure to look at and to be with to the last.
Victorian Etiquette
The information in this section is taken from http://myparlour.stormpages.com/etiquette.htm.
For Young Ladies
Upon being introduced to a gentleman, a lady will never offer her hand. She should bow politely and say ‘I am happy to make your acquaintance’ or words to that effect.
When bowing on the street, it is appropriate to incline the head gracefully, but not the body.
When travelling by train, tramcar or omnibus, the well-bred lady had a delicate sense of self respect that keeps her from contact with her neighbour, as far as such contact is avoidable.
A lady never looks back after anyone in the street, or turns to stare at them in the theatre, concert hall, church or opera.
A lady never, ever smokes.
In crossing the street, a lady raises her dress a little above the ankle, holding together the folds of her gown and drawing them toward the right. Raising the dress with both hands exposes too much ankle, and is most vulgar.
A lady (or gentleman for that matter) will always rise to their feet in respect for an older person, or one of a higher social standing.
Above all, the lady strives to be dignified and elegant in everything she does.
For Gentlemen
A gentleman will always tip his hat to greet a lady.
When walking in the street, the gentleman always walks on the outside to protect his lady from the dangers of the road.
If a gentleman is smoking and a lady passes by, he should remove the cigar from his mouth.
A true gentleman should always rise when a lady enters or leaves the room, and remove his hat upon entering a room where ladies are present. He should also precede a lady in ascending the stairs, and follow her in descending them.
A gentleman always stands to shake hands.
During the daytime, a gentleman never offers a lady his arm unless to protect her in a large crowd. In the evening, it is appropriate for her to take his arm.
A gentleman should never place his arm on the back of a chair occupied by a lady.
Did You Know?
Until the eighteenth century there was no unified measurement system? In 1795 France alone had over seven-hundred different units of measure!
Before standardisation measurements could differ from one village or town to another as the length of an inch came from either the width of a man’s thumb or the distance from the tip of a man’s finger to the first joint.
In medieval England an inch was equivalent to the length of three barleycorns. This archaic unit of measurement still underpins the sizing of British shoes today.
The yard came from the length of a man’s arm – from nose to fingertip – and the foot from the size of a man’s foot. Can you imagine the confusion – people (and barleycorns) came in all shapes and sizes!