Etiquette of a Victorian Lady
In both the upper and middle classes, there were certain expectations, or guiding principles that women had to follow in order to be called a lady. There were numerous etiquette guides and books published in this time period regarding dining, beauty, and social activities, and most of the newspapers and women's magazines included articles on how to be the perfect Victorian Lady. These are some of the most interesting forms of etiquette.
Ballroom Etiquette
A Lady should always have an easy, becoming and graceful movement while engaged in a quadrille or promenade. It is more pleasing to the gentleman.
--from “Etiquette for the Ball Room”
Women were supposed to always be graceful and even something as enjoyable as dancing had to look effortless, and the woman always had to make sure that she appeared elegant and refined. It also has a reference to the fact that when dancing, the goal of the woman's etiquette was to please the man. Another mannerism that Victorian women followed in the ball room was that a lady should not attend a public ball without an escort, or that no lady should ever be left unattended (“Etiquette for the Ball Room”). This is just another example of how a woman needed a man in order for her to fit into society. It was considered rude if a woman were to ever be seen alone at a ball.
Dressing Room Etiquette
The dressing room of a lady was supposed to be her sanctuary, or a place where nobody except for her ever entered. It was a place where women were meant to admire themselves and make themselves look presentable at all times for their husbands. “The husband should always find the wife fresh, beautiful, sweet as a flower” (“The Lady's Dressing Room”). The dressing room was a place where the woman was to be vain and cover up or hide any imperfections that she may have had. The article above also asks, what is life or love without illusions? In order for her husband to be pleased, the woman was to retire to the dressing room and make herself beautiful, even if it included tricks. Above all, it was private. A lady was to look beautiful at all times, but make it look like it didn't take any effort at all. This was also the place in which the specific hairstyles of Victorian Ladies were created. It was proper etiquette to always wear the hair up.
Grandmother often thought if she dressed and acted the part of a lady, then she would be acting in an acceptable behavior, but the way the reader views her actions is not the
To me, they are portrayed as classy, wearing long dresses, shirts with long sleeves, hats with ribbons, stylish, attractive, slender and fashionable. These women were the foundation of what the style of fashion and beauty was then and sets the basis for style of the modern fashion women of today. The similar business practices and ideas to basic concepts of women’s fashion was important during the Gilded Age as they are today. However, the images of men shows the “Arrow Collar” man looking upper class, confident, classy, and elegant, having a bow tie with handkerchief and educated. He resembles as either a lawyer or businessman being successful. What these images and pictures showing of how people dressed during the Gilded Age, these are similar concepts and business practices to the ways businesses market and advertise their products in the 21st century. It seems to me that business practices in clothing, fashion and style have always been an important factor still to this
Balls, formal dinners, and social gatherings dominate people’s view of the nineteenth century. Upper-class women lived a life of splendor and grandeur, and the white, gentle hands of those women hardly lifted to do any work. Most would strive to attain such a life because of its outward appearance; however, masked behind the smiles and parties, suppression ran high. Men dominated their households, and they repressed their wives. Life did not live up to the expectation of many women as they struggled against the controlling and authoritative male figures in their lives.
classic nineteenth century Waltz. With heads thrown back and ribbons flowing, their movement seems light and fully of energy, yet the image still portrays a sense of finesse and refinement. The young woman’s hair is neatly pulled back in an updo while the male’s hair is carefully combed and controlled. Additionally, their arms are precisely placed while their legs and motions are in perfect unison. Both thin framed, they illustrate a sense of whimsy and attractiveness. Although the artist was sure to portray the movement of the couple’s clothing, their outfits remain smooth and reserving. Even the distance between the dancers’ heads prevents the dance from seeming too sexually suggestive. By portraying such a composed couple, the artist implies
The Victorian era brought about many changes and the introduction of new things. One issue that stood out was “The Sex.” Many things evolved around this issue like changes in laws all over, it became a topic for literary poets/ writers and also for the woman question. This term means discrimination based on a person’s sex and during the 19th century this was a vast issue toward women. This all Started from the early Victorian era with queen victoria, who was the monarch of the united kingdom of Great Britain from 1837- 1901. Being the queen she played a very substantial role during this time. As a wife she showed a domestic side. She supported Prince Albert, had his children, became very submissive and devoted to her husband a family. This image she portrayed became a trend to the outside world. Most people looked at this as what the ideal woman was during this era.
Female attire tended to fall into two categories: tailored suits and ball dresses, reflecting the way of life for the more wealthy. During this time, dresses tended to extend out in the shape of a bell where the end of the skirt was flared. To further describe how these dresses appeared, in an essay by James Laver, he remarks, “It is impossible to put a photograph of a fashionable woman of 1895 beside a photograph of a lamp of the same period without being struck by their close resemblance in every detail. The unmistakable sweep of the Art Nouveau line was completely parallel in the dresses of the time, in particular by the fall and swirl of the skirt.” The characters Gwendolen and Cecily are wearing ball dresses like the ones described in the Victorian era in my sketch. Their dresses are shown to be tighter in the waste (flattering their body shape) and become much wider toward the end. On the shoulders of the dresses, it fluffs up to add a decorative
In the Victorian era, in New York City, men and women roles within the society were as different as night and day. A man regardless of his extra curricular activities could still maintain a very prevalent place in society. A woman’s worth was not only based family name which distinguished her class and worth, but also her profession if that was applicable.
The front parlor, always located just off the foyer, was used as the showcase of the family’s possessions. It was a prime indicator of the family’s social class and taste. During the Victorian Era, clutter meant class, and the woman of the house was always responsible for outfitting the parlor with as many expensive, exotic, and novelty items as she could find, such as lamps, vases, teapots, statuettes, and dried flowers. The parlor was used as the primary gathering place for the family, where they played games, conversed in conversation, and other diversions from life.
The history behind ballet began in the Italian Renaissance courts of the fifteenth century. The word ‘ballet’ stemmed from masked ball. Noblemen and women in the Italian Renaissance were treated to lavish events such as wedding celebrations were ballet dancing and music was incorporated to be an elaborate spectacle. During this time in the fifteenth century, dancing masters aka ballet teachers (instructors) as we call them nowadays would teach the court who participated in the performances. Also during the Italian Renaissance, the wife of King Henry II of France, Catherine de Medici adored ballet and began to fund ballet in the French court. With funding the French Ballet court, Cathering de Medici added to the elaborate festivals which she included to have the ballet have a theme meaning costumes, music, poetry, and décor that went along with it. A century passed, King Louis XIV also contributed into popularizing the form of dance. During King Louis XIV’s reign, he was a passionate dancer and danced many roles himself....
It is evident that throughout time the ever changing social norm caused a shift in the popular dance fads. Whether it be Western dance, Classical dance, Roman dance, etc. they have all changed through time. Dance and social class also go hand in hand. For instance if you dropped the corset and shortened your skirt, you weren’t classy. Therefor you did not dance classy either, you were more on the risky side.
The women on the trail, though it shows, had little time to care about mending clothes, “The majority of the overland women wore what clothing they had and prayed that what they wore would not tear. They were too preoccupied with the necessities of the day to consider fashion at all (Schlissel 105). ” I would be happy if I were these women because that just means one less chore that was their “duty” to perform. In conclusion, the woman of the Victorian Era had her role in life planned out from before she was born. Although it was a dreadful role, these women carried it out in a way that shows their purity of the heart and willingness to do so many things for others and for little return.
The Victorians' obsession with physical appearance has been well documented by scholars. This was a society in which one's clothing was an immediate indication of what one did for a living (and by extension, one's station in life). It was a world, as John Reed puts it, "where things were as they seemed" (312).
“Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance. (Gabrielle ‘CoCo’ Chanel) To her modesty was the chicest way of proclaiming one’s superiority. she wanted to get rid of everything that put women at the mercy of convention, that got in their way, that slowed them down.” Edelman (1997 p20)
The first social dance explored was ballroom dancing. Ballrooms were a place of courtship; therefore, these dances were always performed by a male, female couple. Traditional gender roles began the dance as the men always asked the women to dance. As the dance began, the bodies were transformed into vehicles to connect these opposite sex partners. However, societal rules applied to this dance because partners must be from within the appropriate class, the intentions proper, and the movements executed in a specific manner. The woman’s role was essentially to avoid a misstep of tripping on the man’s feet, since the male always led the dance.
One of the dominant distinctions of a Victorian prostitute was her dress or "love of finery." When the love of finery is introduced Bronte veers off the course of identifying Jane with the likeness of a prostitute. The Victorian prostitute is associated with the love of fine dresses, like that of the upper-class society. The prostitute's dress denoted her as a disgraceful and immoral character because she wore the type of dress that was not associated with her class. Valverde states, "…What was or was not finery depended upon the socioeconomic status of the wearer" (Valverde 169).