Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-09-26
Old Fashions In Dress.

We saw a picture recently describing
the style of dress worn by gentlemen
sixty-fve years ago, and beside it was a
woman arrayed in the prevalent fashion
of that period. To our eyes of to-day it
would atonce be set down as caricature,
and a monstrous wicked caricature at
that But the printed description which
accompanied the engraver's art corrects
such an impression. 1t was an honest
portraiture OF the accepted style of the
day. The query, how any rational crea-
ture, with freedom of choice in the selec-
ton of suitable and becoming apparel,
could consent to clothe himself or herself
in such shocking guise, is only to be
solved by falling back upon the mystic
rious abstraction which goes by the name
of Fashion. The man in the picture
was drawn as a very tall and very lean,
lank gentleman, with his back to the
reader. His coat, the collar of which
was on line with the top of the shout
ders, and tightly encircling the base of
the neck, was fashioned with waist that
reached no lower than the middle of the
back, from which depended two scanty
skirts which tapered gracefully to a
pOlue, uCaiiy iSdCuihB ehO NOUS, ouu PtO-
voking the guess that the pattern of the
garment was suggested by a partially
opened pair of BARRIERS shears. The lower
limbs were so tightly encased in trousers,
or 80 obscurcly drawn, that the doubt
remains whether the artist had not for
gotten to complete his sketch in this par
ticular, leaving wide margin for
the on-looker's imagination to fill
out at his leisure or discretion.
Two largo buttons, which, no doubt,
would have shown as gilt metal had
printers ink permitted, showed where
the waist began and the back ended; and
the browning grace of this memento or
monument of fashion of sixty-odd
years ago was hat of the stovepipe
variety, type of that which still fingers
on Broadway, despite the fact that it has
been set upon by innumerable hosts of
men who despise and condemn and
wear it. If the man struck one at first
sight as a ludicrous or impossible travesty
of the gentleman of the day, generous
stretch of credulity must be summoned
in contemp ating, with features repose,
the picture of the contemporary woman
by his side. Doubtless in her day, as we
behold her, she prided heIself on the
beauty and artistic display OF her attire,
and possibly disparaged in her own mind
the jealousy or envy which she was mol
conscious of meaning to arouse in the
minds of women less favored by fancy
or fortune. The picture gives us a
woman drawn after the Grecian type
with bend in it which makes the fash
ion of dozen years ago seem natural
and far from an extravagant or ungrace'
full curvature of the body. The wais,
of the gown was nearly on line with
the arm-pits, and the short skirt, bell.
shaped and balcony, with sharp re-
minder of the widest days of oiinoline
The sleeves of the dress were in keeping
with the style of trousers supposed to be
worn by the man beside her, and the
bonnet, which, unless the artist was lack
ing in sense of proportion, occupied
more space in the world than the wcarer
was of the coal-scuttle variety that out
scuttled any specimen of head-gear that
the modern world of fashion has evel
worn CT witnessed. The study of thi.
picture serves not only to make us glad
that we did not live sixty years ago, Blu,
confirms our faith in the beauty, grace
fulness and general charm and healthful
ness of the dress of the women of to-day
~ Y. Evening Post.