The Heritage of Dress: Being Notes on the History and Evolution of ClothesWebb, Wilfred Mark
History
The Heritage of Dress: Being Notes on the History and Evolution of Clothes
Webb, Wilfred Mark
Clothing and dress; Clothing and dress -- History
If we had headed this chapter "survivals in naval dress," we should have
been in the historic predicament of the writer who took as his topic the
snakes of Iceland, and afterwards had to own that there were none. It
would be better, however, if we were to say that there are no survivals
of a strictly naval kind, as then we should be nearer the truth. There
are, of course, in the uniform of both officers and men, plenty of
survivals from civilian costume, such as we have spent much time in
describing. Though the crews of the galleys, which are the boats
reserved for the captain's use, had, in the case of the smart ships,
long been dressed in a uniform manner, the actual uniforms of the Navy
only date from a little before the year 1767.
The colours, blue and white, so tradition says, were due to an
inspiration which George II received, while the subject was under
discussion, on seeing the Duchess of Bedford riding in a new habit which
was of blue faced with white.
There are two points in the dress of the ordinary sailor which are
commonly supposed to be interesting survivals, and indeed they appear on
the surface to have all the makings of such. It has been thought that
the black silk handkerchief which a sailor wears round his neck was
first put on as mourning for the death of Nelson. The other matter is
the blue jean collar which covers the similar-shaped one which is made
of the same material as the sailor's jumper. This would no doubt have
protected its fellow from the grease of the pigtail which sailors wore
once; but Commander Robinson, who has gone into the question, says that
pigtails were discarded before the blue jean collar came into existence,
and at the same time tells us that black silk handkerchiefs were adopted
previous to the time of Nelson. It is not perhaps very widely known that
sailors at one time wore a kind of kilt or petticoat, and this no longer
ago than the year 1779.
Some thirty or forty years earlier there were in vogue loose slops like
the petticoat breeches of the reign of Charles II, and the collar of the
coat, which was open at the neck, turned back on to the shoulders.
The trousers, however, that are now adopted are tight round the body and
thighs, but remain very loose round the legs, and are therefore somewhat
curious. The method of buttoning is one which they share with the
gentlemen of George II's time, the old-fashioned labourer, and, we
believe, the bishop.
XXVII
THE COSTUME OF PUPPETS
PUNCH AND JUDY--FASHION DOLLS--DOLLS IN SWADDLING CLOTHES--THE EGYPTIAN
"SHABBIES"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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