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The Trousseau |
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By Dawn Aiello of Victorian
Lace, Author and Copyright Owner |
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For a young Victorian bride, her wedding trousseau
was nearly as important as the wedding itself, and
might possibly have been even more expensive! A
colorful example of this is presented in an article
that James McCabe wrote in 1872 entitled, "Lights
and Shadows of New York". In the article he stated:
"The society woman must have one or two velvet
dresses which cannot cost less than $500 each. She
must possess thousands of dollars worth of laces, in
the shape of flounces, to loop up over the skirts of
dresses...Walking dresses cost from $50 to $300;
ball dresses are frequently imported from Paris at a
cost of from $500 to $1,000...There must be
traveling dresses in black silk, in pongee, in
pique, that range in price from $75 to
$175...Evening robes in Swiss Muslin, robes in linen
for the garden and croquet, dresses for horse races
and yacht races, dresses for breakfast and for
dinner, dresses for receptions and parties..."
In fact, John McCabe was a strict moralist who was
emphatically opposed to frivolity, and so he most
likely exaggerated his description of the trousseau
for an average debutante. However fashion magazines
and newspapers of the time did regularly print the
trousseaus of the most eloquent and wealthy brides,
and in some cases, to even imagine the overwhelming
extravagance would have been nearly impossible. To
give a vague idea of some of the wealth and
frivolity, a Vanderbilt niece, Florence Adele
Sloane, married an English lord in 1895. She
insisted upon having duplicate gowns for every
social function to which she might ever be invited.
Her trousseau reportedly cost $40,000, which by
today's standards, may still seem substantial, yet
not incredulous. Bare in mind, however, that during
the Victorian Era, the value of $40,000 equaled
seventy years' wages for an average man!
By comparison though, Miss Sloan's trousseau didn't
hold a candle to the one belonging to Bettina
Rothschild. According to era fashion journals, it
cost 200,000 francs, and contained hundreds of
items, including some of the world's most exquisite
and expensive parasols. One was described as
"covered in rose-colored silk, trimmed with ecru
gauze and lace; the tip was encrusted with emeralds
and brilliants, the handle carved out of jade and
garnished with other precious gems". (Victorian
Decorating & Lifestyle, April/May 1997).By 1850,
having one's trousseau on display had become quite
acceptable, including the many items of lingerie and
undergarments. The custom spread to the United
States where displaying the bride's trousseau and
her gifts was a way of flaunting American's "new
money". By the turn of the century, however, this
custom became less appreciated, and was actually
considered to be in poor taste. An 1891 fashion
magazine announced: "The custom of exhibiting the
corbelled (a French term for the expensive gifts
from the groom to the bride), and the gifts sent to
the bride by her relatives and friends has
completely fallen into disuse among people of true
refinement. The display of intimate lingerie was
painful for the fiancé and shocking to the modesty
of more than one fiancée."
By the end of the century, concentration on the
bride's trousseau--at least, the average
bride's--had swayed from extravagant and fashionable
clothing to undergarments, preferably, enough to
last for the rest of her life. Young girls from
poorer families began working on their trousseaus
years before they even began to date, and it took
them years to create the carefully-stitched items
that were stored away in their "Hope Chest".
In their 1880's catalogs, Bloomingdale's offered
"Bridal Sets" for women of modest means. Depending
upon the choice of trimming, these sets ranged in
price from $2.95 to $6.61. They consisted of one
nightgown, "drawers", and a corset cover. If a young
woman could afford a more deluxe set, then, for
$148.79 the bride could include in the set: a
reception dress, a suit dress, a walking dress,
three day dresses, two nightgowns, a shawl, three
petticoats, three pairs of drawers, two chemises,
two corsets, two-dozen pairs of plain stockings,
plus a set of towels and a tablecloth! By 1905, most
practical-minded "modern brides" were applying their
trousseau money toward household linens and kitchen
items. Spending seventy-five cents for a washtub,
and forty cents for a washboard left a bride-to-be
feeling that she could splurge a bit, and perhaps
then buy an aluminum tea kettle and pans for $3.35.
Even with ladies becoming more resourceful in the
early 1900's, the entire concept of a bridal
trousseau had not completely died out. In 1908,
Sears was still selling a twelve-piece bridal set
for only $5.19!
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Website: |
The
History Box.com |
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Article Name: |
The Trousseau |
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Author: |
Dawn Aiello of Victorian
Lace |
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Source: |
Bibliography: By Dawn
Aiello of Victorian Lace,
who is the author and
copyright owner of this
article |
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Time &
Date Stamp: |
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