Equestrian Ladies from Costume Parisien

I colorized the plate on the right- my original was so faded, everything was greyish-yellow, except the lady's green shoes and bright scarf.  Also, I added some color to the fur hat on the left.

Another Costume Parisien MEN's Fashion 1817-1820

Couple of cuties

Here are two, make that four - now six- more Men's Regency (Empire) Fashion.  One coat in the Russian style, another announces a new type of ... hat?

From Georgette Heyer's "BLACK SHEEP" -Ackermann's & Costume Parisien "Walking Dress" & "Carriage Dress"

"... no one had ever cast a slur on Selina's eye for the elegant and the becoming. In her youth she had been the least good-looking but the most modish of the Wendover girls; in her middle age, and endowed with an easy competence, she enjoyed the reputation of being the best-dressed woman in Bath. If Fanny did not, like Abby, seek her advice, she was shrewd enought to respect her judgment; so that when, presently, she showed Selina the sketch of a grossly overtrimmed walking-dress, her secret longing to be see abroad in this confection was nipped in the bud by Selina's devastating criticism.

"Oh dear!" said Selina, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "All those frill, and tucks, and ribbons–! So–so deedy!"

So nothing more ws seen of that fashion-plate ..."

Ackermann's Fashion Plate, 1823

I think this is one of the prettiest fashion plates I have.  Even tho the background is white, the artist gives one the impression of a lady walking in the dark.  It's also one of the best preserved plates, a bit yellowed with time, but no spots or stains, very clean.  The lady in pink is another favorite.

Regency Christmas Cards

Here are a couple more cards I made for the Heyer (Almacks) Reading list, way back when.  I bacame ill a few years ago and dropped off the list.  I may rejoin if they'll have me, starting with the Almacks (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/almacks/) list.  

Meanwhile, I'll keep posting the fashion plates, in this case, I modified some to make Christmas Cards.

Costume Parisien

Lady's Magazine Fashion Print

My Lady's Magazine prints are very yellowed, and a bit spotty; so it takes a little time to clean them up.  I think I'll show a few "as is",  We'll see.  Here's another one.    Coming: a few Mystery engravings.

La Belle Assemblee Fashion Plate

 

The "La Bell Assemblee" prints are very spotty, perhaps mildewed, so I had to do a lot of cleaning up. The next one is in perfect condition: I'm not sure its an original or a later reprint. The paper seems similar to the others, but I can't tell for sure.  The original engravings are very detailed and beautiful, tho not colored like Ackermann's & all the other fashion plates.  I really like the caps: they aren't really well described in fiction, and when reading, say, a Georgette Heyer novel, I tend to imagine the Hollywood "maid's cap".  Apparently they could be quite  detailed and elegant.  Women in those days nearly always wore hats or caps.  It was a bit "fast" to go bear-headed!  And to go around bare-headed and with the hair hanging down: Ooo La! La!  Very naughty.

First Print.

Lady's Magazine fashion plates, early 1800's (Regency)

Costumes Parisiens, and Costume Parisien

Some equestrian fashion plates.

Fashion plates from the French Fashion magazine "Modes Etc"

These are very good engravings, but the watercolor washes over them were rather sloppy, and when scanned every flaw in the paper was magnified.  I whitened them, and touched up some of the painting.

 

Costume Parisien fashion plates, early 1800's

Here's a pretty old Costume Parisien, #48.3 .  No date, but judging from the dresses, pretty early 1800's.

Costume Parisien, Napoleon Era Fashion Plates

Here are some French Ladies from the Napoleonic Era:

Lady on the right is using a quizzing glass, not only a prerogative of men!

The dress on the right is using a shawl (probably cashmere) for the bottom third of the dress, a fashionable trim in those days. Cashmere is warmer than wool: about 3 times for their comparative weights, and the fashion of wearing lightweight muslins & cottons made warm outer-wear imperative.

Examples of Spencers and-or Pelisses.

Costume Parisien Napoleon-era fashion plates for MEN

Now I'm scanning & cleaning up some Costume Parisien fashion plates.  Half the problem is my scanner over-or-under-exposes everything,  Once scanned into Photoshop, I just hold the original artwork up and work to get the digital image looking pretty much the same, with less age-related yellowing.

Ackermann's Repository seldom had drawings of men, and they weren't nearly as detailed as the French fashion plates.  The rather sad thing is I mostly own post-Waterloo (1815) for men.  However, the fashions didn't change that rapidly: once guys discovered comfortable & attractive clothes, they pretty much stuck with it.  Well, jeans have replaced skin-tight knit -or buckskin- breeches!

More Ackermann's Repository of the Arts Fashion Plates

 Notice how the fashion plates emphasize the shape of the ladies' limbs. It was rumored that some women dampened their skirts to make them cling to their legs.  Well, women will do most anything for Fashion's Sake, but it probably wasn't necessary in early 1800's England. It is pretty damp there nowadays, back then with no Central Heating: brrr!

"Times was scandlis then!"  (Mammy from GWTW)

I really want to put a looming dark castle behind the lady in the green pelisse.

Georgian Fashion Plates, circa 1730-1807

Here are some scans of 1700's Fashion Plates, reprinted in 1807.  The originals are very yellowed and spotted, so I've cleaned them up quite a bit.  If anyone is interested in a scan of the original, I can send you a copy.

At first glance these etchings are stiff, too dark, and not very interesting. But if you look closely you see the faces on the models are very animated, alive. The people look like they are having a good time, walking in the park or chatting with one another.

A Gentleman,  Servants