Long nails, corsets and other secrets of the men's dress of the real dandies of the 19th century

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Lines from "Eugene Onegin" that he may surprise the modern reader. Of course, even today men take care of themselves, but the fashion is more of a "combed, and handsome" approach. It is known that Pushkin also paid attention to his appearance. There are small details in his portraits that may surprise. What was the toilet of a real "London dandy" to which both Eugene and its creator are rightfully ranked?

The aesthetics of appearance and behavior, elevated to a cult, is the basis of 19th century dandyism. The ability to dress well has always served as an indicator of a person's high position in society and at all times has been equated with art, therefore, English men here, in principle, have not discovered anything new, but brought sophistication to a new, highest level. Here is how, for example, the writer and playwright M. I. Zhikharev described Pyotr Yakovlevich Chaadaev, a famous dandy of his era:

But it was with Chaadaev that Pushkin compared his hero. So he meant that Eugene's toilet was always perfect. In order for a man to look perfect in the 19th century, he really had to spend some time and effort. The daily toilet of a person who claimed the title of dandy had to consist of the following steps:

Morning bath and washing

The pleasure of lying in warm water was allowed, of course, only by people with prosperity. However, real gentlemen, as can be found in the books of English classics, could do several things at the same time:. For such a multifunctional time spending, for example, such a bathtub from France could serve.

And in order to warm up the structure and not let the water cool down, in the old days they invented heated baths. Of course, as in many other matters, such washing implied the presence of an assistant servant who, at the very least, carried water and firewood.

Washing also required a careful approach. At that time, toothbrushes and various types of powder for cleaning teeth already existed. For example, a slightly later recipe for a similar composition, published in the Dodge City Times in 1879:

At the end of daily hygiene procedures, a real dandy, of course, had to comb thoroughly, shave and, possibly, use a cream, which in the 19th century were already abundantly offered in pharmacies - it was there that earlier one could find the widest range of products from medicines to cosmetics, perfumery and "household chemicals".

Manicure

- in this phrase, Pushkin expressed a thought very close to him. The fact is that our classic adored well-groomed nails and paid great attention to this issue. For example, in the famous portrait of Kiprensky, we see Alexander Sergeevich not only well-groomed fingers, but also rather long nails. And according to the memoirs of contemporaries, it was a common occurrence for him.

(I. I. Panaev, "Literary Memoirs")

(V. A. Nashchokina, "Memories")

The poet had the longest nail on his little finger. It was fashionable in the 19th century. Pushkin was insanely afraid at night to accidentally break his beautiful nail, so he put a thimble on his little finger. Such an appearance detail probably served psychologically to separate the idle aristocrat from the peasant, who would never be allowed to have long nails by hard work.

clothing

It was in the first decades of the 19th century that men's clothing became emphatically modest, but elegant. Bright colors and ruffles have gone from her, but this simplicity, of course, "was worth a lot." Nevertheless, even simplified in comparison with the Middle Ages, the costume of a man of that era was much more complicated than the modern one. Underpants and a shirt served as linen. Of course, they had to be perfectly clean, snow-white, sewn from thin cambric.

By the way, it was in the 19th century that men began to often use corsets. The effect they were seeking was even called the "dandy figure." So, although Pushkin is silent, this detail of the toilet is not at all excluded in Eugene Onegin's wardrobe.

We went further. But things were there, and they had to have a perfect cut. After all, it was precisely on this that the emphasis was now placed in the men's suit, which not so long ago lost a mass of distracting jewelry. Interestingly, the fabric for clothing, of course, required the best, but the novelty of the costume was considered bad form. To make the tailcoat fabric look slightly worn, it was given to be worn by a servant or treated with emery cloth. So worn jeans are also "forgotten old".

The waistcoat and tie were the only spots of color in the low-key suit. But on a tie it was possible to "come off". Mastering the art of tying a tie distinguished a real dandy from an ordinary person. Therefore, entire treatises and textbooks have been written about how to do this correctly. In general, a lot of clothes were required for the dandy. According to one of the authors of such a textbook, "an elegant man must change twenty shirts, twenty-four handkerchiefs, ten types of trousers, thirty neckerchiefs, a dozen vests and socks within a week."

And if you also remember about shoes and a lot of accessories: a tie pin, a cane, a watch, a handkerchief, a wallet and portresor (a special purse for coins), gloves and a top hat. After all this, it remains to be surprised that Eugene, our friend, actually did not devote so much time to his appearance.