Women People From 1700 Clip Art Black and White Easy 1765

In the Survey of Historic Costume (2003), Phyllis Tortora and Keith Eubank describe women's clothing in the second quarter of the eighteenth century:

"Two new styles replaced the loose sacque. Therobe à la Française had a full, pleated cut at the back and a fitted front. The robe à l'Anglaise had a close fit in the front and at the back. Generally gowns had open bodices and skirts, which allowed the display of decorative stays and petticoats… Some garments consisted of skirts and tops." (239-240)

Two of these styles are visible on our sitters – the robe à l'anglaise and an ensemble consisting of a petticoat and bodice. Skirts during this time were called petticoats or simply 'coats' (Cunnington 91). The overall silhouette is visible on the standing women in figure 8. In Costume in Pictures (1964), Phyllis Cunnington discusses what was worn underneath the petticoats in order to achieve the bell shape:

"The hang of the skirt depended on the underwear… The hoop or hoop-petticoat from 1710 to 1780, and for Court wear until 1820, was variously distended with cane, wire or whalebone. The shape also varied. The bell hoop, worn throughout the hoop-period, was dome-shaped, the fan hoop, 1740s and 1750s, was pyramidal; the oblong hoop, very wide from side to side, was fashionable from the 1740s to 1760s." (93)

From the flared shape of the black skirt we can tell that the women's silhouettes match the rounded bell shape in figure 8. Both women are also wearing loose linen shifts and boned stays for cleanliness and support (Fig. 9). The large sleeves of the shifts are gathered to a band near the forearm and then a gathered cuff is attached to the other side of the band.

Their hairstyles are quite fashionable; the majority of women during this time wore their hair simply (Fig. 8) or covered by caps (Lowery 223). These ladies have pinned their hair up in the back and styled curls at the side fronts like the blonde woman in figure 10.

Interestingly, these women also share jewelry styles: the dark pink gemstones with silver settings that the Black sitter wears is echoed by a piece of jewelry on the band of the white sitter's apron. This is a unique touch and must have meant something personal. Are they sisters? Something more?

Black Sitter

The woman on the right is wearing a fashionable but informal gown consisting of a jacket (caraco) and matching petticoat (Sholtz 47). Its decorative gold frogging at the front and heavy-looking cuffs are modeled on military uniforms; this style of trimming is sometimes called Brandenbourg (Fig. 11) (Cumming 87). In the 1780s, the fashion was given the nameredingote (French, from the English 'riding coat'). Men's clothing was not acceptable for women to wear, but aspects like jackets and military lace (braid) were commonly used for riding habits (Fig. 12) and often made their way into daywear like the gown in figure 13, which is similar in cut to the Black sitter's (Blanco F. 236).

The sitter's bodice fastens at the center front, as with most articles of dress during this time; a tiny slice of her shift is visible towards the top where the bodice gapes a bit. Women's bodices normally closed with straight pins, but it may be the case that the frogs (gold fasteners) on her bodice acted as the method of closure here – as the buttons do in figure 13 –in a touch of masculine style (Blanco F. 236).

The sitter's ensemble is probably silk, given the luxury of the rest of her ensemble, but might be fine wool. An extant example of a silk caraco and petticoat can be seen in figure 14. Black gowns were not common at this time, as the goal was usually to use the most expensive and decorated bright fabric to demonstrate one's wealth (Steele n.p.) and the Rococo period was particularly fond of pastel colors. This varied by country: In England black was often connected with advanced age, poverty, or a state of mourning, while in some areas of Italy it was required of all noblewomen by law (Steele, Sharp 24). Maybe she is in mourning or has links to Venice; perhaps she simply liked its stark simplicity.

The sitter has a 'suit of lace' (matching edging) on her sleeves and tucker (Fig. 15) (Blanco F. 141). Her lace is delicate and would have been extremely expensive; the other woman has a simple 'suit of linen' in comparison. She is wearing an elaborate set of jewelry with pearls and gemstones set in silver. Springer'sIllustrated Guide to Jewelry Appraising: Antique, Period, and Modern (2012), describes this style of earring, popular throughout the eighteenth century:

"Society was not disappointed in a special design called girandolé. This was a pendant earring with three small precious stones or pearls suspended from a main disk, crescent, ribbon swirl, or horizontal bar. The girandolé design was immediately embraced by the fashion-conscious women of the period." (61)

The rose-colored surmount (center piece) is echoed by the two gems in her two-tier necklace and the one on her small turban. They may be precious or made of paste (Fig. 17) (Cumming 150). While pearls were often painted on Black sitters in order to emphasize their dark skin tones, that does not seem to be the goal here, as her skin tone is neither especially dark nor pearls her only jewelry (Childs 140). This may simply be her best or favorite set of accessories that she was proud to wear for this sitting.

The last aspect of her dress to discuss is her turban, which smacks of exoticism; as mentioned above, Black sitters were often painted wearing non-Western clothing so that they would stand out (Waterfield 140). However, the rest of her clothing is European daywear, which is unusual for that trope. See figures 3 and 4; the Black sitters have full outfits in Indian and Turkish style. It seems instead that her turban is meant to be fashionable in the same way that the white sitter's hat is – simply as a stylish element, and not necessarily a garment that forces a connection to her skin color. This is fairly unique in Black portraiture of this time, but possible because fashionable turbans and other 'Oriental' accessories were sometimes worn by white women in this way over otherwise Western clothing (Fig. 17). While the style was calledturquerie, few aspects of the headwear were ever recognizably Turkish (Fig. 18). Our sitter's turban instead resembles a style worn several decades earlier in Iran (Fig. 19).

Her dress and hair are fashionable and her jewelry and lace are formal and expensive; she appears to be a high-ranking woman with taste and the means to dabble in trends.

Fig. 8 - Stephen Slaughter (British, 1697–1765). Detail of The Betts Family, ca. 1746. Oil on canvas; 73.7 × 61.6 cm. London: Tate, N01982. Bequeathed by Mrs A. Sealy 1905. Source: ArtUK

Fig. 9 - Designer unknown (American). Stays, 1740-60. Linen, leather, whalebone; cf 38.1 cm (15 in). New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2009.300.3330a–d. Source: MMA

Fig. 10 - Allan Ramsay (Scottish, 1713-1784). Portrait of a Lady, formerly called Flora Macdonald, 1752. Oil on canvas; 74.9 x 62.2 cm. Edinburgh: National Galleries Scotland, NG 1884. Bequest of Mrs Morag Macdonald 1937. Source: NGS

Fig. 11 - Artist unknown (British). Sir Charles Firebrace (1680–1727), ca. 1720. Oil on canvas; 121 x 96.5 cm. Sudbury: National Trust, Melford Hall, 926885. purchased from Sir Richard Hyde Parker and Lord and Lady Camoys, 2002. Source: ArtUK

Fig. 12 - Thomas Hudson (British, 1701-1779). Portrait of a Young Woman of the Fortesque Family of Devo, ca. 1745. Oil on canvas; 127 x 101.6 cm. New Haven: Yale Center for British Art, B2001.2.246. Source: ArtUK

Fig. 13 - Jonathan Richardson the elder (attr.) (British, 1667–1745). Portrait of a Lady, ca. 1730. Oil on canvas; 127 x 99.1 cm. Forres: National Trust for Scotland, Brodie Castle, 73.108. Source: ArtUK

Fig. 14 - Designer unknown (Norwegian). Ensemble, 1730-60. Silk. Oslo: Kunstindustrimuseet, OK-08212. Gift, 1909. Source: Digitaltmuseum

Fig. 15 - Designer unknown (English or European). Sleeve ruffle, 1760-85. Cotton with linen needlework. VA: Colonial Williamsburg, 1985-128,1. Museum purchase. Source: CW

janissuccur.blogspot.com

Source: https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1750-slaughter-two-women-fruit/