Smoking jackets, hoods, harem pants: What was worn at home in the 19th century

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

The nineteenth century had its own ideas of decency. For example, all day long, everyone did nothing but change without even leaving home - at least among the nobility and the urban middle class. During the day and night, several types of clothing were assumed - in contrast to the working class, peasantry and merchants, whose clothing was divided only into ordinary, festive and, in some countries, mourning.

Why did you have to change all day at home?

Firstly, due to the lack of a shower and deodorant, they fought against the smell, including by constantly changing underwear - linen perfectly absorbed sweat, all that was left was to throw off the used one and put on a clean one. And since you still have to change your underwear, it’s not difficult to change your clothes at the same time. Secondly, the constant change of clothes made it possible to wear them longer, while observing the entire everyday “ceremonial” that affirms and confirms the social status of a person.

That is, it was necessary to emphasize that a person has the ability to change clothes according to circumstances, but at the same time, in fact, take care of these clothes. Only Empress Maria Feodorovna could afford to put on a ceremonial dress in the morning and in it and drink, and eat, and stand at the lathe. The rest had to handle their clothes with care. Part of the etiquette requirements, in fact, are traditionally aimed at preserving the suit from stains and abrasion.

Morning is time for friends

Only a few in the old days generally had time for themselves. People lived in large families, with servants, more often than we do now, they looked to each other for the sake of maintaining social ties - after all, there was no telephone and the Internet for this. There was no question of walking at home in the costume of Adam and Eve - as well as of simply wearing worn-out clothes for public appearances. There were special types of clothes for the morning. In it, it should have been possible to be shown to people, but not to everyone. Morning visits were for a close circle of friends and relatives.

Women were recommended a simple, modest dress that did not restrict movement too much. It was believed that in the morning even a rich lady was in one way or another engaged in her household or children. If a woman paid a visit herself in the morning, she did not change the rule of modesty and simplicity: it is impolite to look more elegant than the hostess when she comes to visit.

Morning for most of the ladies of the "idle estate" began, moreover, late. Breakfast could fall at twelve o'clock (and it was considered indecent to be an outsider), so that a morning visit could come at an hour, and more often at three in the afternoon, because after breakfast everyone has things to do and need to put themselves in order.

The business card very quickly became popular among men as clothing for morning visits (hence the name). In fact, at first it was just a suit for morning exercise - a long jacket, which, however, did not hinder movement and the ability to ride thanks to the cutout at the bottom at the front and a fairly loose fit. At first it was simply convenient for men to pretend that they had come in between times, after a horseback ride, and then this “sporty style” simply took root, and the man no longer portrayed the rider in the business card.

At some point at home, a wide, long robe became very popular among both sexes, which could equally reliably cover underwear and protect clothes worn in case someone came in, so as not to change clothes from possible stains. Men wore a dressing gown, women a hood. At some point, when friends visited, they stopped removing the dressing gown from their home clothes. Men often wore a dressing gown all day - yes, in the nineteenth century, jokes about housewives in dressing gowns would not be understood, this was a masculine feature.

You have to understand that these robes usually looked, if not luxurious, then quite elegant, and besides, in winter weather they perfectly replaced the coat, which sometimes I really wanted to wear inside the house, but it seemed inappropriate - for this, the dressing gown was made with a warm lining.

Home clothes for men were also considered short jackets to the waist - for a long time, a man's back covered with trousers was considered a not very decent sight, and they tried to cover it with long halves of frock coats, uniforms and tailcoats. It is clear that at home you could give yourself a break and show your pants back to everyone at home. Many in Russia and Eastern Europe, however, liked to combine the jacket with trousers more - and there is some originality of the image, and the buttocks are not covered.

Evening

Since we had dinner quite late, then immediately after the “morning”, with an interval for eating and a short rest after, there was “evening”. In the evening, even at home, it was supposed to dress more strictly: not all visits were warned in advance, and the owners always had to be ready for the appearance of guests. It was no longer possible to make visits to the “sports” business card either. Ladies dressed brighter and lighter, men wore tailcoats or frock coats. A vest was worn under the frock coat, adding austerity and elegance to the man's torso. A scarf was required even at home - a hairy male neck was considered a pornographic sight.

Despite the fact that in the evening the man often changed his robe for a tailcoat, he often remained in a purely home-made headdress - a smoking cap. The embroidered hat was a popular gift from the wife to the husband and from the daughter to the father. She had to save her hair from absorbing the smell of cigarette smoke, and in winter she also warmed up if her hair was not enough. Women with the same purpose (to protect their hair from odors and not to freeze) tied caps at home. In the evening, only an elderly woman could leave a cap on her hair. But if a lady wanted to warm up in the evening, she could throw a shawl over her shoulders - home jackets, as for men, alas, were not provided for most of the nineteenth century.

By the way, it was considered good form for a man to change his tailcoat for a smoking jacket before smoking and retire to a special room. Some were too lazy to change their clothes back later, and they walked around the house in a smoking jacket. It was distinguished by its simplicity of cut - without folds and cutouts, rather loose - but it was often intricately embroidered. Slippery satin was sewn onto sleeves and lapels to prevent ash from sticking. However, walking in such a jacket was considered not very neat, because it conveyed the smell to the upholstery of furniture. If dressing gowns were embroidered “to the east”, then smoking jackets were often decorated “in the Hungarian spirit” - with a cord sewn with paws.

Night

No one in the nineteenth century, except for the very originals, would have thought of sleeping naked. It’s not just a matter of bashfulness - many believed that it’s worth undressing for intercourse - it’s the constant danger of fire in nineteenth-century homes. At any moment, you might need to jump out into the street. It would be nice if you were wearing at least a nightgown at this moment. For the sake of warmth, some wore another type of dressing gown over it, simpler than a dressing gown, for example, an arhaluk, and so they slept. Ladies often kept a large shawl near the bed - so that if they had to run out, wrap themselves up - both for modesty and for health. Both men and women could cover their heads with special headdresses to “preserve” hair.

In general, men's clothing in the 19th century was paid almost more attention than women's: Long nails, corsets and other secrets of the men's dress of the real dandies of the 19th century.