Anecdotes of the Manners and Customs of London during the Eighteenth Century; Vol. 1 (of 2): Including the Charities, Depravities, Dresses, and Amusements etc.Malcolm, James Peller
History
Anecdotes of the Manners and Customs of London during the Eighteenth Century; Vol. 1 (of 2): Including the Charities, Depravities, Dresses, and Amusements etc.
Malcolm, James Peller
London (England) -- Social life and customs -- 18th century
"The ladies were variously dressed, though with all the richness and
grandeur imaginable; many of them had their heads dressed English of
fine Brussels lace, of exceeding rich patterns, made up on narrow
wires, and small round rolls, and the hair pinned to large puff caps,
and but a few without powder; some few had their hair curled down on
the sides: pink and silver, white and gold, were the general knots
wore. There were a vast number in Dutch heads, their hair curled down
in short curls on the sides and behind; and some had their hair in
large ringlets behind, all very much powdered, with ribbands frilled
on their heads variously disposed, and some had diamonds set on
ribbands on their heads; laced tippets were pretty general, and some
had ribbands between the frills; treble-laced ruffles were universally
worn, though abundance had them not tacked up. Their gowns were either
gold stuffs, or rich silks, with gold or silver flowers, or pink or
white silks, with either gold or silver nets, or trimmings; the sleeves
to the gowns were middling (not so short as formerly) and wide, and
their facings and robings broad; several had flounced sleeves and
petticoats, and gold or silver fringe set on the flounces; some had
stomachers of the same sort of the gown, others had large bunches of
made flowers at their breasts; the gowns were variously pinned, but
in general flat, the hoops French, and the petticoats of a moderate
length, and a little sloped behind. The ladies were exceeding brilliant
likewise in jewels, some had them in their necklaces and ear-rings,
others with diamond solitaires to pearl necklaces of three or four
rows; some had necklaces of diamonds and pearls intermixed, but made
up very broad; several had their gown-sleeves buttoned with diamonds,
others had diamond sprigs in their hair, &c. The ladies' shoes were
exceeding rich, being either pink, white, or green silk, with gold or
silver lace and braid all over, with low heels, and low hind-quarters,
and low flaps, and abundance had large diamond shoe-buckles.
"The gentlemen's clothes were generally gold stuffs, flowered velvets,
embroidered or trimmed with gold, or cloth trimmed, the colours
various. Their waistcoats were also exceeding rich silks flowered with
gold, of a large pattern, all open sleeves, and longer than formerly,
and the cuff broader; the clothes were longer waisted than of late, and
the plaits of the coat were made to stick out very much (in imitation
of the ladies hoops) and long. The wigs were of various sorts; the
tyes, higher foretops than formerly, and tied behind with a large flat
tye; the bag-wigs, &c. as usual. White stockings were universally worn
by the gentlemen as well as the ladies.
"Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales left 100 guineas to be
distributed among Sir John Jennings's servants at Greenwich.
"The officers of the horse and foot-guards that mounted on Tuesday at
St. James's wore Ramellie periwigs by his Majesty's order."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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