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I am looking into making a vest for a friend, and I don't know what to make it out of! He wants to be lower class, and so I was thinking a tartan or plaid for the front, but what fabric do I use for the back, and the lining? Does anyone know where I can find a large number of photos of the lower classes, especially the guys, for reference?
Any help would be vastly appreciated. :D
Any help would be vastly appreciated. :D
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Sacramento
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Re: Photos of Lower Classes - Vests
Mon, November 2, 2009 - 4:10 PMTough to come by pictures of the lower orders from the Dickens era, as photography was in its infancy, mostly a middle- and upper-class fashion, and rarely unposed (which means you don't get to see the backs of garments) but the unsmiling faces of those sitting stiffly for several minutes of exposure time...
On the other hand, having physically *seen* several garments from the period (1840-1860), one can either use the same fabric as the front of the vest... Or go with a polished cotton or lighter cotton twill in a black, brown, grey, or natural shade. Remember that wools are best thought of for warmth and durability for the outer/front fabric... And plain colors are much more common for working men than tartans or plaids, which are more costly to dye and weave. -
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Re: Photos of Lower Classes - Vests
Mon, November 2, 2009 - 11:41 PMThanks for the tips about tartans being costly etc, I never thought of that! Actually, I should have mentioned in my first post that I am looking for pictures of vests from Dickens Fair.
And would a working class wear a white shirt, or should it be another color or stripes?
So far in the outfit for my friend I have a flat cap, neckerchief, fingerless gloves, and dark pants.
He is not involved with any group, but wants to wear a costume to Dickens. -
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Re: Photos of Lower Classes - Vests
Tue, November 3, 2009 - 7:56 AMDon't know that I'd go with photos of vests from the fair, as they vary widely in authenticity. You'll want something with a collar and cut straight across the bottom. Be sure that the waistline of the trousers are up above the waistline of the vest (no shirt showing).
Try drawings from Henry Mayhew's work on the London poor.
Shirts may be either white or colored or striped, though they wouldn't be very white any more. -
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Re: Photos of Lower Classes - Vests
Tue, November 3, 2009 - 10:05 AMYou don't have to limit yourself to the poor. Make a nicer vest along the lines of what a middle class bloke might wear and then distress the hell out of it. It could have been something the wearer purchased used off the barrow in a market or even directly from the rag and bone man (depending on his circumstances)
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Re: Photos of Lower Classes - Vests
Tue, November 3, 2009 - 1:19 PMIf I was going with a striped shirt, I'd make sure that the stripe was a woven rather than printed stripe. Oh, and checked shirts in a smallish woven check (3/4 inch squares or less, no Italian tablecloths) are also dandy. While some cotton calicoes are appropriate for lower middle class.....I'd avoid them as patterns are a very distinctive indicator of the calico's time period, and it is hard to find and expensive to purchase repros of period appropriate patterns.
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Re: Photos of Lower Classes - Vests
Sun, November 8, 2009 - 11:25 AMTake a look at the lower classes from "Oliver Twist" and "A Christmas Carol". Think Bob Cratchit.
There's a photo pool on Flickr for Dickens Fair if you just want to take a peek at what people wear there. Some of it might not be period correct or pass costume approval, but more leeway if coming as a paid visitor.
www.flickr.com/groups/dickensfair/pool -
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Re: Photos of Lower Classes - Vests
Sun, November 8, 2009 - 5:22 PMIf you go by the photo pool you might be tempted to think most of us just pose in the Dark Garden window or dance the cancan
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