Planning a 1912-1915 outfit for the 1915 Balboa Park Panama-California Exposition For the last couple years San Diego has been attempting to put together a huge celebration of the 100 year anniversary of the 1915 Exposition in Balboa Park. The Expo, which opened in January of that year, was organized in conjunction with the grand opening of the Panama Canal, and to entice travelers to come to San Diego as the first port of call after their westward trip through the canal. The original centennial plan from last year fell through but a grassroots organization rebooted it and is scheduled for April 11-12, 2015. Our San Diego Costume Guild, and anyone else interested, has been invited to join along in costume to provide a visual trip to the past, and we've been planning our costumes for it. Of course I started doing my own research on the styles of dress worn in 1915. I figured styles from a couple years back would probably be worn too so included those back to 1912. I mainly looked for day dresses that would be worn by the general public as they strolled through the park. April in San Diego can still be cool but most of our cold and rain are usually gone by then. The fashion name for this time period was called the 'teens, referring to the second half of the year number, such as 19thirteen. The styles ran from a dress, a skirt and blouse (aka shirtwaist or waist), or a walking suit. Starting in 1912 the waistlines are still slightly raised and drop to the natural waist by 1914. Skirt widths went from straight to slightly flared at the bottom. The length also started going up and by 1915 the ankles were showing, although colored stockings or spats were worn. Dresses were still layered, going from the drapey bodice to clearly defined seams but still layered. Skirts were often in two sections, a shorter length at the top, or a draped overskirt from the side. 1914 showed a pulled-up drape on the sides creating an interesting look to the skirts. Necklines were varied but I see a lot of v-necks, with the majority of them having a center panel. A recognizable style was the cross-over bodice, and with pointed or lace collars. The photos I collected for my Pinterest page, 1915 Centennial Celebration, don't tell what the fabrics are but cottons and linens work well for the day dresses, and most likely there were silks. Fabric designs for day include solids, stripes, plaids and dots, and some florals, mostly in two colors. But I'm sure there were others out there. The underpinnings include an under-bust corset to have a smooth line of the hips. At one point they were very long but shortened later. By this time the chemises and drawers gave way to the combinations, which combined them into one piece with less bulk. The dress silhouette was soft with just a petticoat under them. Hairstyles were soft with a slight fluff and curls. There still needed to be enough hair to hold up some of the larger hats so they wouldn't droop over your forehead and face. For accessories, hats came in a variety of shapes and sizes. Large hats to small perched-on-top hats. Trims were fairly simple with just a band of fabric, and a single feather or flower. Purses were changing from soft bags to leather. Patterns in 1912 for crocheted purses were shown, as well as the 1912 Sears catalogs with fabric bags but now with metal frames, both of which could still be made at home. But leather purses were being advertised. The majority of the pictures I first collected are fashion plates so it doesn't tell exactly what women really were wearing. So I did a search for photos from the 1915 exposition and found quite a few postcards and photos what they were actually wearing during the grand opening. Granted it was in January so a majority of the ladies were wearing walking suits, but quite a few were also wearing a dark skirt and white blouse Very few were wearing dresses at that time of year. *If you click on the photos you can see them larger.* There was one photo of an obviously well-to-do couple wearing a current stylish outfit, but not what the general public was wearing. There was still a lot of the white skirt and white blouse styles that were popular a good five years earlier. Ok, so I surprised myself when I'm trying to make a dress that was modern and up to date for that time period. I firmly believe the best way to educate yourself in the styles of the era are to see them. For this reason I created my Pinterest page, 1915 Centennial Celebration, and have also included some men's fashions that I could find, which I know little about so can't really describe them. But I hope by seeing them it will help the gents.http://www.pinterest.com/timetravels/1915-centennial-celebration/ ~~Val~~
Belgian painter Alfonse Van Besten (1865-1926) embraced technology, utilising innovative color processes to transfer black and white photographs into vivid, at times lurid autochromes. The tableaux of his autochromes (a technology patented by the Lumière brothers in 1903 and the first colour photographic process developed on an industrial scale) are often bucolic and romantic. Demure ladies and … Continue reading "Alfonse Van Besten’s Dreamy Autochromes (1910-1915)"
by Kendra Van Cleave, First published for the July/August 2008 issue of Finery Hairstyles and headwear are inextricably linked in almost every era; hairstyles affect the shape and placement of the hat and vice versa. The “pompadour” popular in the 1890s belied its name. Rather than a large amount of volume, hair was dressed loosely but still simply and close […]
Autographic intro.
The period 1900-1909 by chance almost exactly covers the Edwardian age in Britain.Queen Victoria died in 1901 and King Edward VII acceded the throne in
Belgian painter Alfonse Van Besten (1865-1926) embraced technology, utilising innovative color processes to transfer black and white photographs into vivid, at times lurid autochromes. The tableaux of his autochromes (a technology patented by the Lumière brothers in 1903 and the first colour photographic process developed on an industrial scale) are often bucolic and romantic. Demure ladies and … Continue reading "Alfonse Van Besten’s Dreamy Autochromes (1910-1915)"
retro-vintage-photography.blogspot.com/ via
"La guerra es larga, pero las faldas son cortas", el atrevido eslogan anunciaba en 1916 en Francia las "crinolinas de guerra", faldas que causaron ...
In today’s recipe we are going to use a potato to make a colour photograph. Strange but true. The Lumière brothers devised a system which used potatoes to create colour photographs or Autochromes. Now take your potatoes and crush them into itsy-bitsy pieces. Take these potato grains and and divide them into three piles. You … Continue reading "Early Colour Photographs of New York 1900-1930"
Miss Elaine C. Barry c.1915 via http://www.loc.gov
Poignant photos by Edward Linley Sambourne of Edwardian women, taken in London and Paris in 1906, captures the Edwardian street style of a forgotten age.
Last week's photo of the day theme was evening wear. With prom season right around the corner and so many winter balls and galas taking place, it is the perfect time to look at the most glamorous of all vintage evening gowns and dresses. We can't forget the gentlemen, too, who always look so fine
The second decade of the 20th century... 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
Innovations made during the war years include tailored trousers, trench coats and A-line skirts - all of which became popular as shortages began to bite.
A seismic shift in the role of women in society was induced by the urgent need for more factory and munitions workers and other traditional male roles. Their contribution to the war effort ultimately helped hasten female suffrage. A woman munitions worker welds at a work bench in an armaments factory, 1915. (Photo by Hulton Archive) Women munitions workers in Paris, 1916. (Photo by Topical Press Agency) Two women replace the traditionally male porters at Marylebone Station in London during the First World war. Original Publication: Illustrated London News, 1915. (Photo by Hulton Archive) A parade of women ambulance drivers during World War I, November 1915. (Photo by Topical Press Agency) Members of the Women's Fire Brigade with their Chief Officer, March 1916. (Photo by Topical Press Agency) The Women's Reserve of the British Army National Motor Volunteers being addressed by an officer, October 1916. 1st October 1916. (Photo by Hulton Archive) Women war workers working in an engineering shop, 1917. (Photo by Hulton Archive) Women munitions workers in a Vickers factory maing shell cases, January 1915. (Photo by Topical Press Agency) A Woman working on an engine in an engineering shop, circa 1915. (Photo by Topical Press Agency) Members of the Women's Fire Brigade on a fire drill with hoses and extingushers at full force, March 1916. (Photo by Topical Press Agency) A member of the Women's land Army in WWI, circa 1916. (Photo by F. J. Mortimer) Women's Army recruits drilling. United Kingdom, 8th May 1917. (Photo by Topical Press Agency) A woman shaping a steel knee splint at the Kensington War Hospital supply depot, November 1917. (Photo by Topical Press Agency) A young woman in an armaments factory in WWI. United Kingdom, circa 1916. (Photo by Hulton Archive) Women war workers march to Buckingham Palace in London. 29th June 1918. (Photo by A. R. Coster/Topical Press Agency) Miss D. Milman of the Women's Service League outside 67 Warwick Square, 1918. (Photo by J. J. Lambe/Topical Press Agency) Members of the Women's Royal Air Force arrive at Buckingham Palace, London, to attend a party for war workers. 25th July 1919. (Photo by Topical Press Agency) A member of the Women Porters At Marylebone Station Group giving a Great Central Railways carriage a thorough clean, 1914. (Photo by Topical Press Agency) A woman munitions worker operating a machine in an armaments factory during the First World War, circa 1915. (Photo by Hulton Archive) Women Navvies pushing loaded wheel barrows in Coventry during World War I, circa 1917. (Photo by Central Press) Women pulling apart old ledgers as part of the London & South West Railway's scheme to recycle paper. 16th April 1917. (Photo by Topical Press Agency) Women sorting paper for the London & South West Railway's scheme to clear out and recycle waste paper. United Kingdom, 16th April 1917. (Photo by Topical Press Agency) A woman at work in an armaments factory, circa 1914. (Photo by Hulton Archive) Women police appointed for duty at a munitions works trying on new boots. United Kingdom, 30th January 1917. (Photo by A. R. Coster/Topical Press Agency) Young women from Lowell in Massachusetts team up to form America's first Women's Death Battalion during World War I, inspired by their Russian counterparts, circa 1917. In front of the armoury where they drill are Mary Tully, Nina Hosington, Blanche Chengnon, Marie Provencher and Agnes Kelley. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive) Women wait to ask about American Red Cross nursing positions in 1918. (Photo by Keystone View/FPG)
Vintage
A couple, Germany 1905
