Mrs. Lincoln’s Salon: Her Form Inclines To Stoutness

[L Verge]

I have always considered Mary Lincoln of normal size for a woman of her day - and a mother of four by the time she reached the White House. If you think that women of that era were slender, frail little beings, think again. If you study photos of women from the Federal period through 1900, you'll find that they came in all shapes and sizes, just like they do today. And, it often depended on what contraptions were under their outside clothing as to what their shape and size might be.

Nice link here http://hubpages.com/style/History-Of-Womens-Corsets At Surratt House, the guides are always in authentic period clothing, and it is very interesting to the visitors. One of my staff members, Lindsey Horn, has recently given "show and tell" presentations on her costume and underpinnings to two separate groups (both men and women). Off comes the collar, off comes the belt, shed the over-hoop petticoat, twirl around in the hoop, and then lose it in order to get a full view of the corset and under-petticoats, then the chemise. Lift the hem of the chemise gently to display the pantalettes -- and that's as far as it goes.

Actually, Lindsey's shape would likely be frowned upon in the social world of the 1860s. She's 5' 10" or taller and very well-proportioned. She reminds me of my grandmother and her stories of growing up in the 1870s and 80s. She was also that height, weighed 120 pounds, had a perfect 18-inch waist, and required no corset. She was considered an ugly duckling in an age when it was better to be about 5'4" with a slightly rounded, hour-glass figure, enhanced by a corset. Her wedding gown and several dresses that she saved proved that she wasn't fudging about her size. And yet, her shorter and plumper sister was considered the popular one.

I don't remember such a fixation on women's sizes until Twiggy took to the runway in the 1960s. About twenty years ago, I saw a statement that so-so model and actress Elizabeth Gurley made about Marilyn Monroe. She declared that she would have killed herself if she was as fat as Marilyn! Guess which woman is still better known nearly fifty years after her death... Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.