Hat by Mme. Mantel, c.1885.
Barrette boots by Gundry & Sons, c.1875-1885. Silk satin uppers, grosgrain lining, leather soles. Supposedly made for Alexandra, Princess of Wales (later Queen Alexandra, wife of Edward VII of England).
(Source: powerhousemuseum.com)
Women’s tennis shoes made by Joseph Box; English, 1886. Morocco leather uppers; kid lining; rubber soles. Made for the 1886 Colonial & Indian Exhibition in London. In this era, expert shoemakers would occasionally make a pair of “prize shoes;” intended to demonstrate the makers’ skill and cutting-edge style, the shoes were usually never worn. Tragic!
Panel, Candace Wheeler, 1883. Silk embroidered with silk and metal-wrapped cotton thread; sequins; glass beads.
Panel, Dora Wheeler (daughter of Candace Wheeler), “Penelope Unraveling Her Work at Night,” 1886. Silk embroidered with silk thread.
Panel designed by Candace Wheeler, c.1883-1887. Silk and metallic cloth appliqued with silk velvet & embroidered with silk & metal-wrapped cotton thread.
The Sisters Watson as “The Mashers” in an 1883 English production of Bluebeard, a burlesque by F.C Burnand (Phyllis Broughton played “Joliquet”). Victorian burlesque was sort of the Forbidden Broadway of its time, poking fun at the conventions of serious opera. Trouser roles were encouraged, especially ones where the actresses could show a little leg, but burlesque as striptease was a uniquely American “innovation.”
Boots, French, c.1885-1890. Embroidered silk.
Dress, c.1881. Wool, linen & silk.
