Woodstock
They were also representative of a change in America: The mass production of steel.
“Fashion is really sort of the reflection of what’s happening in the rest of the world,” said fashion historian Samuel Neuberg, who is giving a free talk titled “Fashion and the Evolution of the 19th-Century Silhouette” at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Woodstock History Center.
Prior to the crinoline hoop skirt, “women wear layers and layers of petticoat underneath the dress,” to achieve a bell-shaped silhouette, which was “very heavy and cumbersome,” Neuberg said.
Neuberg’s talk will primarily focus on how undergarments helped shape Victorian fashion. He will be using examples from the Woodstock History Center’s collection.
“They have a really amazing assortment of those objects,” Neuberg said, adding that the museum has a great range of clothing from everyday items to gowns. “They are very fortunate that they have almost everything in their clothing collection photographer.”
Bustles — steel framework that extends off the back of the dress — also become popular.
Corsets that were traditionally made with whalebone are replaced with steel.
“The body really changes shape in the 1870s,” said Neuberg, who works in New York City and was introduced to the history museum after his parents moved to Woodstock. While wearing a hoopskirt might appear uncomfortable, it was seen as a huge advancement at the time.
“It seems so crazy to us to think that was convenient,” Neuberg said. Afterall, it was lighter than wearing 17 layers of skirts.
Hoopskirts, corsets and bustles were far from the only item people used to change the shape of their bodies in the Victorian era. Men would wear stockings with calf muscle enhancements sewn into them and blazers with padding in the chest.
“I think people will be surprised how body-modification-crazy the Victorians could be,” Neuberg said.
Department stores also came into play in the Victorian era.
“Modern mass produced clothing and shopping were produced during that period,” Neuberg said. Those creations prompted the “birth of the modern mannequin” as a way to display clothing in stores.
Another reason Neuberg is excited about the talk is because, in addition to showcasing fashion and national history, the items in the Woodstock History Center’s collection emphasize community history.
“The people who show up will be a little more connected to the collection,” he said. “I’m really interested to hear what people have to say.”
Some of the items have a name on a tag or on a label sewn into the object.
“All these bits and pieces that make it more than just an object. It makes it part of history.” Neuberg said. “The clothing is always just the link to a larger story. ”
Editor’s note: The Woodstock History Center is located at 26 Elm St. For more information, email education@woodstockhistorycenter.org or call 802-457-1822.
