Mary Lincoln Extra Credit Questions

[L Verge]

(06-28-2016 10:36 PM)PaigeBooth Wrote:  

(06-28-2016 07:07 PM)L Verge Wrote:  

(06-28-2016 02:45 PM)Anita Wrote:  Laurie, what a riot! I hope you were wearing your petticoats under those hoops. Did anyone dare snap a photo?

Yep, petticoats and pantalettes. And thank the good Lord that it was in the days without camera phones.

My daughter was two when I started working at Surratt House. She and our cocker spaniel used to play hide and seek under my hoops. And, believe it or not, I used to drive a Chevy Chevette with stick shift with those skirts on. Once you shoved everything under the steering wheel, the rest was easy. You just worried about having a flat tire, and you learned to look straight ahead when stopped at a light because you were wearing a fancy head piece also.

Laurie-- thanks for sharing these stories! I have heard that hoops often twisted and had a tendency to ride up on ladies, especially if they were in movement, such as walking. Is that true?

Your story reminded me of a picture I took a couple of weeks ago of a wire bustle that I saw while touring. This bustle was patented in 1888! The display said it was used to lift the often heavy dress fabric so that it would not drag on the ground when the wearer was walking and to keep the dress shaped while sitting. Below is a picture I took of the wire bustle:

That bustle looks a lot friendlier than one I found in our old attic. It didn't have the wire meshing, just about six rows of heavy wire. The bustle may have served the purpose of keeping the skirt off the ground and shaped, but I always thought it was just a fashion statement of the age -- and actually appeared in the 1870s and the 1880s.

As for uncooperative hoops, I have to admit that most of us cheat and wear modern bridal hoops. I experienced no problems other than wires eventually wearing out and protruding through the fabric (and sometimes me!). The modern ones do get out of shape. Several of my volunteers have made their own according to 1860 standards and they are quite sturdy.