My First Novel's Inspirations~Part 10b/Women's Accessories Cont.

Hello and Happy Monday! Thanks for coming to find out more about Women's Accessories. I've got three more accessories I want to cover today. First, if you have subscribed to my blog, check out those buttons over there 👉press the buttons and follow the directions. 👍I appreciate all my followers and I'm so glad you've come back again and again, to follow my journey to authorship and beyond. For those of you who've been keeping up with this series, MFNI's, we are almost done. Today's post and one more should finish it up. September 30, I won't be able to post, so look for the last post in this series on Oct. 7th.

Women's Accessories

(continued)

Fans

The way women used fans back in the 1700's, is fascinating to me. Women used fans as a form of communication. They could flirt, scold, express interest or disinterest and more. Certain movements of the fan could speak volumes to anyone who could speak the language.

"The 18th century was the heyday of the fan. It was an essential accessory in a stuffy, crowded ballroom. Fans were made in every medium: ivory, painted silk and paper, lace, chicken skin (a very fine kid) and so forth.

However fashionable your fan, you would not be considered elegant unless you held it in the right way. A lady might take snuff genteely, use her handkerchief daintily, and smile with refinement, but nonetheless she would be laughed at if she used her fan in a bourgeois manner. On the other hand, as was said of George III’s queen Charlotte, even the plainest woman could become attractive if she used her fan graciously.

Young ladies were therefore instructed on the proper ways to handle their fan. For example, Matthew Towle’s Young Gentleman and Lady’s Private Tutor (1770) devoted several pages to the subject, and portraits of the period show ladies holding their fans in one or other of Towle’s recommended positions.

But 18th century ladies used the fan for more than keeping cool: they used it as a form of expression. More than any other article of fashion, the fan became part of a lady’s body language. Supposedly, there even existed a ‘language of the fan’ whereby ladies could send messages across a room without saying a word. To use this language, it was essential to know your right from your left! For example:

Touching right cheek – yes
Touching left cheek – no
Twirling in left hand – we are watched
Twirling in right hand – I love another
Fanning slowly – I am married
Fanning quickly – I am engaged

Open and shut – you are cruel
Open wide – wait for me
Presented shut – do you love me?
With handle to lip – Kiss me
In right hand in front of face – Follow me
Drawing across the cheek – I love you
Placing on left ear – I wish to get rid of you
Twirling in right hand – I love another

The Art of Dancing, Soame Jenyns
What daring bard shall e’er attempt to tell
The powers that in this little engine dwell?
What verse can e’er explain its various parts
Its numerous uses, motions, charms and arts?
Its shake triumphant, its virtuous clap,
Its angry flutter, and its wanton tap." 

Ivory fan with vellum leaf - 'Return from Abroad'

c. 1740

Folding fan with ivory sticks (probably Chinese) and printed paper leaf published by Martha Gamble English, c. 1740

The two fans above, can be found at the Fan Museum in Greenwich, London. 

Here's a few more beautiful fans:

Jewelry

If a person had the means to own jewelry or simply jewels, they could be used in many ways. Such as, weaved in a hairdo or clothing, on fans, reticules, buckles, etc. Of course there is the more expected places, on a brooch, ring, necklace etc. I had a really hard time narrowing this down for you, since there are so many gorgeous pieces to choose from, but here are some of my favorite period pieces.

brooch

pendant

earrings

ring

locket

Gloves

"As a consequence of technical advances and new forms of fashionable dress, the consumption of fabric and knitted gloves began to increase during the eighteenth century. The lower cost of these materials meant that gloves soon became accessible to a wider section of the populace. Changing fashions, along with the high cost of elaborate gauntlet styles, led to the emergence of shorter, wrist-length gloves. Such styles were often constructed of finely embroidered and printed leather or multicolored woven cloth. Gloves of this type were designed to complement the popular fashions of long ruffled or lace-trimmed sleeves." 

Gloves

Well, that's all I have for this week. What accessories are your favorites? I don't know if I could choose just one! I know I loved the chatelaines from last week and the jewelry this week. Comment if you have a favorite.

Thanks again for coming! Remember October 7th should be my last post for this series, so don't miss it. I'm looking forward to going to the ACFW Conference next week. Remember to subscribe here or at my website to get my newsletter in October. I'll try to update y'all on the conference and a few other things that have been going on there. 

Have a great week! May the Lord God bless you and your family with faith, hope and love. In Jesus' Name.

In Christ,

Sandy

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My First Novel's Inspirations~Part 10b/Women's Accessories

Welcome to another Monday blog post! I'm so glad you came. Don't forget to subscribe 👉 while you're here. I understand many people are nervous about subscribing to a site, because they don't want to be inundated with emails and offers to buy this or buy that or be asked to pay for a subscription. That will not happen here. You'll be notified when I have a new post and when I've sent out my Quarterly Newsletter (at least that's the goal). When my book is published, you may be given a link or directed to where you could go to buy it if you so choose. So, don't be afraid to subscribe. My goal is to grow my readership and become a published author. Believe it or not, every subscription I have can make a difference in whether or not I'm picked up by a Literary Agent or Publisher. Ok, enough of that. Let's talk women's accessories!

Women's Watches and Chatelaines

 "Women did not wear breeches with fob pockets, so while men hid their watches in a fob pocket and let the watch chain hang from it, women wore their watches at the hanging end of their equipages in full view:

Equipages pinned or clipped to the waistband of a woman’s petticoat since she didn’t have a fob pocket. Others were designed to be worn hooked over a sash, like those worn over zone-front gowns. The weren’t just for watches, but could also include a multitude of accessories, grooming tools, sewing implements, or small vials of perfume  and did not necessarily have to include a watch–some were more like suspended sewing kits–" 

"In the wardrobe of the 18th century ladies was an accessory, which now fashionable women never dreamed of – it’s decorative belt hook, which was called Chatelaine...is a belt hook...on which they wore a wide variety of items: notebooks, knives, thimbles, measuring tapes, thermometers. Chatelaine was much more convenient than modern handbags in which their owners have to dig frantically  to find something. In the early 18th century Chatelaine has gained more and more popularity among the aristocratic society. The rapid growth was assisted by the popularity of  wearing mechanical watches. Mechanical pocket watch attached to a chain – the type of Chatelaine." 

"Before purses or pockets, people carried their important tools or accessories dangling from pins or hooks attached to their belts. Decorative as well as practical, these belts, known as chatelaines, could hold scissors, watches, writing instruments, notebooks, eyeglasses, etc. (They enjoyed widespread use until the 1900s). Made of cut steel, the chatelaine below includes: a disc-shaped pin cushion, a button hook, a thimble holder with steel thimble, a folding corkscrew for perfume bottles and a decorative cut-steel attachment. Despite some rust on the steel due to age, this piece remains in very good condition. Intact chatelaines, like this, are very rare. Over the years, people dismantled many of these to use the tools as pendants." 

Parasol

"The history of sunshades goes back thousands of years, but it was during the Italian Renaissance of the 16th century that umbrellas and parasols were introduced to Europe. At first the items were large, used interchangeably, and generally carried by a servant to protect the wealthy from the elements and sun. Some were heavy (made of leather) but silk, paper, and cotton grew in popularity. During the 1700s parasols had already evolved into a woman’s fashion item, designed and decorated to match each promenade dress or walking suit, and was clearly defined as a sunshade; not for rain and snow. To make them collapsible developed around 1800, but ribs would break, paper tear, and the materials mildew if left damp." 

    

Rain Umbrella

"By the mid-18th century, the rain umbrella moved towards an everyday item among women, but it was not until the Englishman Jonas Hanway fashioned and carried a rain umbrella on the streets of London in 1750 did men begin to take notice. Although ridiculed at first, Hanway carried a rain umbrella everywhere he went, and by the late 1700’s, the rain umbrella became a common accessory among both men and women. In fact, in the late-1700’s and early 1800’s, a “Hanway” evolved to become another name for a rain umbrella."    

Reticule

"A reticule is a small drawstring bag carried as a purse by a woman in the 18th and early 19th century.  It was also used as a synonym for any kind of purse or handbag carried by a woman."

"From the beginning of time women needed a place to put personal things. And whether you call it a chanery, chatelaine, pocket, reticule, handbag or purse it became something a women couldn’t do without. The English called reticules “indispensables.” The French called them “ridicules” and mocked women who carried them. An interesting thing is how very small they were in the beginning in the 1700’s. That was because way back then women rarely carried anything. If she went shopping a maid accompanied her and paid for all the purchases. A woman didn’t talk about money and heaven forbid she certainly didn’t HANDLE it. (Of course, this applies to those women wealthy enough to afford a maid. -sandy) So, visiting cards, a handkerchief, small bottle of perfume, or the ever-present smelling salts (because you never knew when you were about to keel over) were about all she needed to keep with her. They were made of all sorts of things—silk, velvet, brocade, leather, straw, old doilies, handkerchiefs. You name it and it could be made into a reticule. And then there were the knitted and crocheted ones. Some had adornment and some were plain Jane." 

As is the case with anything, the wealth of the woman determined what she could and could not afford to own or the quality of what she owned. If the women of the 18th century were anything like the women of today, I'm sure they found ways to make or find dupes and knock-offs, of at least some of these things. For example here are a couple of handmade chatelaines:

I sort of like the idea of a chatelaine. As I was looking for pictures, I found patterns for making modern day chatelains, mostly used for sewing. I may make me one...

Having things isn't wrong, God blesses us with so much. It's when our hearts worship the things instead of the Creator that we have made those things our treasure  (idol) instead of God. Make the Lord God your treasure and you will always be rich.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Come back next week to learn about the last three accessories on my list. Have you been enjoying this one so far? I know I have. 😀

I hope the rest of your week is great! May the Lord God bless you and your family with faith, hope and love in Jesus' Name.

In Christ,

Sandy

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My First Novel's Inspirations ~ Part 10a/Men's Accessories

Hello! I'm glad you could make it for another Monday blog post. Please don't forget to subscribe 👉while you're here, if you haven't already. I want to jump right in to our topic today. I've been looking forward to this one. It does have the propensity to become too long, but I'll try to keep it within reason. I won't try to tell you about every accessory common to 18th century fashion, that would be impossible for one blog post, so I'll try to stick to some of my favorites for men this time.

Accessories for Men

Knee Buckles

Last week I showed you some of the buckles worn for shoes, but men also wore knee buckles. "served to close the seams of breeches. They were often made as a set with the shoe buckles. Original knee buckles are even rarer on the market than shoe buckles, so you'll have to spend 100-600 Euros for them. Even repros are relatively rare." That's $109.70-$658.23 in American dollars.

The next picture is from late 18th century in America, but I wanted to show you how the knee buckle was worn and this was the best picture I saw. 

Breeches as worn in the United States in the late 18th century: Elijah Boardman by Ralph Earl, 1789.

Watches, Watch Fobs and Chains

"Though the watch emerged as the premier toy of the nobility in the 16th and 17th century, in the 18th century, watches became an indispensable accessory. Not only were they tiny marvels and works of art, they also denoted fashionable scientific enlightenment– the transition from the ancient sundial to the mathematical precision of a rapidly industrializing society. Early watches were heavily ornate and often only had an hour hand. Thanks in large part to advances in enameling techniques, by the 18th century, decoration became more refined: smooth enamel scenes and repoussé cases contrasted beautifully with clean, white watch faces. Minute and second hands were introduced and complex calendar watches with multiple faces became popular." 

"Robert Creed London,a fine gold verge watch circa 1705 Gilt full plate verge movement signed Robt. Creed London finely pierced and engraved balance cock, baluster pillars, verge fusee, silver index regulator, gold champleve dial signed Creed London, Roman numerals for the hours, Arabic numerals for the minutes, circular 18ct gold case, key, diameter 56mm." 

"C. Charleson London. A gold pair cased watch mvt 8478 English circa 1740, converted from to verge to lever movement signed and numbered C. Charleson, London no. 8478, masked, pierced and engraved balance cock, baluster pillars, white enamel dial, Roman numerals, outer Arabic and dot minute track, arrow hands, plain polished inner case, repousse outer case depicting a classical figurative scene, movement signed and numbered, diameter 47mm." 

"Early 18th century very fine gentleman's verge 18ct gold pocket watch with a circular white dial with intricate gold scroll work hands pointing to both Roman Numerals and numbers above. The 18ct gold outer case is defined with scroll work and foliate designs. The maker of this watch was Charles Cabrier who resided in London at 79 Broad Street."  

"Antique Georgian Triple Case Edward Prior Verge Fusee" 

Rare Early Pocket Watch C1740 | Painted Military Dial Verge Fusee Swing Out Case 

"Fob-noun

a small pocket just below the waistline in trousers for a watch, keys, change, etc.

a short chain or ribbon, usually with a medallion or similar ornament, attached to a watch and worn hanging from a pocket.

the medallion or ornament itself." 

Walking Sticks/Canes 

"In 17th and 18th century England and on the continent, canes continued to be a requirement for the fashionably dressed.  A great deal of money was spent in collecting elaborately jeweled canes, adorned with precious stones and chased gold, and jewelers busily kept up with the demand. Napoleon was a cane fancier. So were Voltaire and Rousseau. Canes were sold on the streets of London and Paris. Toward the latter part of the 18th century, less elaborate canes were becoming the norm as cane carrying very slowly trickled down to the middle class." 

 Pictures are of a Walking Swordstick

18th Century Porcelain Cane 

Cane With Pommel Porcelain Meissen 

Defensive Walking Cane Sword, Ivory Knob Weapon

Weapons (Yes, weapons were seen not only as useful for self-defense, but as accessories.)

"Blunderbuss, short, muzzle-loading shoulder weapon, usually a flintlock, with a wide smooth bore flared at the muzzle to a maximum width of about 4 inches (10 centimetres). The flaring was intended to scatter the shot at very close range, an effect that later scientific experiments showed did not occur. The blunderbuss, forerunner of the shotgun, was common in the 18th century, though in use somewhat earlier and later." 

(https://youtu.be/3jh38eMoLPg) - how to fire a Blunderbuss

Box-lock flintlock pistol- "This form of pistol with a ‘turn-off’ barrel to allow for loading was extremely popular in the early eighteenth-century, particularly for guns for personal protection which did not have to be reloaded rapidly. The locks include safety catches – another innovation of the period. David Columbell may have been of Huguenot descent; he was apprenticed to the gunmaker, Gerrett Johnson, in 1712 and after obtaining his freedom worked in the area around Westminster. He was appointed Gunmaker in Ordnance in 1756." 

(https://youtu.be/_3nmsHeuMd8) - Box Lock Pistol Demo

Small Sword- "The small sword or smallsword (also court sword, fr: épée de cour or dress sword) is a light one-handed sword designed for thrusting which evolved out of the longer and heavier rapier of the late Renaissance. The height of the small sword’s popularity was between mid 17th and late 18th century. It is thought to have appeared in France and spread quickly across the rest of Europe. The small sword was the immediate predecessor of the French duelling sword (from which the épée developed) and its method of use—as typified in the works of such authors as Sieur de Liancour, Domenico Angelo, Monsieur J. Olivier, and Monsieur L’Abbat—developed into the techniques of the French classical school of fencing. Small swords were also used as status symbols and fashion accessories; for most of the 18th century anyone, civilian or military, with pretensions to gentlemanly status would have worn a small sword on a daily basis." 

(https://youtu.be/I79B0WG-T5k ) - 18th Century Smallswords

Next week I hope to tackle Women's accessories. Please make sure to come back and join me. Also, by the end of this month or early next month, I plan to send out my Newsletter, where I'll give updates on my writing journey as well as a little of what's going on personally. My ACFW Conference is at the end of this month, so I want to do my Newsletter after that and tell you about my experiences there. Only my subscribers here and at my website receive the Newsletter, so make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss a thing. 😀

Have a great week! May the Lord God bless you and your family with faith, hope and love in Jesus Name. 🙏

In Christ,

Sandy

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