Brigitta Victorian/Edwardian Bloomers - Pantaloons with Lace Trim Fancy Dress Sissy Knickers

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In February 1851, Elizabeth Smith Miller of Peterboro, New York, wore the "Turkish dress" [6] to the Seneca Falls, New York, home of Amelia Bloomer and her temperance journal, The Lily. The next month, Bloomer announced to her readers that she had adopted the dress and, in response to many inquiries, printed a description of her dress and instructions on how to make it. Her circulation rose from 500 to 3,000. [5] :138 By June, many newspapers had dubbed it the "Bloomer dress". [7] Chrisman-Campbell, Kimberly (12 June 2019). "When American Suffragists Tried to 'Wear the Pants' ". The Atlantic . Retrieved 26 April 2023. To assertions that she was the innovator of the dress, Bloomer replied: "The first we heard of it, it was worn as an exercise dress at the Water-Cures; the first article we saw advocating it was an editorial in the Seneca County Courier, [Jan. 1851], which article we transferred to our columns; the first person we saw wearing such a dress was Mrs. Charles D. Miller of Peterboro, daughter of Gerrit Smith, who has worn it for the last five or six months", Lily, June 1851, p. 45. Women responded with a variety of costumes, many inspired by the pantaloons of Turkey, and all including some form of pants. By the summer of 1850, various versions of a short skirt and trousers, or "Turkish dress", were being worn by readers of the Water-Cure Journal as well as women patients at the nation's health resorts. After wearing the style in private, some began wearing it in public. In the winter and spring of 1851, newspapers across the country carried startled sightings of the dresses. [4] The Library's buildings remain fully open but some services are limited, including access to collection items. We're

I have researched the accounts of ‘the Lady With the Birch’ as well as I can. I have narrowed its location down to Oakfield Road, in Clifton, near Bristol. A rather well to do and respected residential district. I have scoured as many Victorian photographs of dwellings in that typical middle class suburban district as I can find, here is one of Rokeby House.The name "bloomers" was derogatory and was not used by the women who wore them, who referred to their clothes as the "Reform Costune" or the "American Dress." [1] :128–129 Fashion bloomers (skirted) [ edit ] 1851 caricature of fashion bloomers. a b Dann, Norman K. (2016). Ballots, Bloomers and Marmalade. The Life of Elizabeth Smith Miller. Hamilton, New York: Log Cabin Books. ISBN 9780997325102. Feminists, such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and numerous others, essentially claimed that women who took on the "feminist dress" look without being fully knowledgeable of all the accompanying issues were imposters. They were concerned that individuals could demonstrate reform without actually being an expert in the issues. In the Sibyl poem, the feeling and element of reform was demonstrated through simplicity and the subtle appreciation of this small step in women's fashion in parallel to a small step for women in general. During the 1850s, feminist reformers were fighting numerous battles to bring about change and further equality to women everywhere. Feminists believed that it was more important to focus on the issues, and that giving in to fashionable trends was exactly what they were battling against. This now popularized simple change in dress symbolically furthered women's liberation. For generations, bloomers were linked with all kinds of subversive female behavior. Once women put on trousers, critics argued, they’d begin smoking cigars, working as police officers, and engaging in lewd behavior. Victorian women were weighed down by pounds of petticoats and heavy corsets, a stark representation of their muted voices outside of the home. Additionally, the heavy styles of the mid-1800s weren’t just uncomfortable — they could prove deadly.

In 1909, fashion designer Paul Poiret attempted to popularize harem pants worn below a long flaring tunic, but this attempted revival of fashion bloomers under another name did not catch on.So, this one is definitely on the same street, very close to where the real one was, and quite likely looks pretty much the same. Mrs Walters and her girls would have walked by here daily, the scene is set, you can now visualise the area. Greig, Catherine Smith & Cynthia (2003). Women in pants: manly maidens, cowgirls, and other renegades. New York: H. N. Abrams. p.28. ISBN 978-0810945715.