Women of America: Woman: In all ages and in all countries Vol. 10 (of 10)Larus, John Ruse
History
Women of America: Woman: In all ages and in all countries Vol. 10 (of 10)
Larus, John Ruse
Women -- America -- History; Women -- United States -- History
"Ye Jump. Best Red Kersey Petticoate. Sad Grey Kersey Wascote. My
blemmish Searge Petticoate & my best hatt. My white Fustian Wascote. A
black silk neck cloath. A handkerchiefe. A blew Apron. A plain black
Quoife without any lace. A white Holland Appron with a small lace at the
bottom. Red Searge petticoat and a blackish Searge petticoat. Greene
Searge Wascote & my hoode & muffe. My Greene Linsey Woolsey petticoate.
My Whittle that is fringed and my blew Short Coate. A handkerchief. A
blew Apron. My best Quife with a lace. A black Stuffe Neck Cloath. A
White Holland apron with two breadths in it. Six yards of Redd Cloth. A
greene Vnder Coate. Staning Kersey Coate. My murry Wascote. My Cloake
and my blew Wascote. My best White Apron, my best Shifts. One of my best
Neck Cloathes, and one of my plain Quieus. One Calico Vnder Neck Cloath.
My fine thick Neck Cloath. My next best Neck Cloath. A square Cloath
with a little lace on it. My greene Apron."
It is not probable that many women of the present day, far less any man,
will be able to recognize all the stuffs that are here represented; but
we can easily gather that Mistress Humphrey was well provided in the
matter of "apparell", and the fact that her wardrobe was deemed worthy
to be so divided into small portions--for each period as printed
represents a beneficiary, the name being omitted as of no interest to
us--of itself proves the value that in those days attached to the
smallest articles of clothing. Yet a gown could be made at a cost of but
eight shillings for the mantua-maker; the whole of the expense lay in
the stuff, which was costly in proportion to its difficulty of
attainment. Indian stuffs were very popular among the later colonists
and in the days immediately after the Revolution. In the matter of
general fashions at this time it may be best to quote from a work
written by a woman concerning feminine costume in the older days of our
country:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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