Hoop Skirts & History Lessons...
| We attended the Lake Tahoe Historical Society's presentation of Paulette Grune's "Victorian Ladies, Their Manners and Morals". |
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| Paulette's history lesson was told through the pieces of clothing she put on. In the 1830's, the corset was thought of as a medical necessity. It was believed that a woman was very fragile, and needed assistance from some form of stay to hold her up. Paulette's husband had to lend a helping hand. This was quite comical to watch. |
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| Even the men in the audience enjoyed the show. |
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| We learned of the dangers of the hoop skirt (fire, snagging on to moving buggies) and the elegant way to sit in one. |
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| Paulette and her purse called a reticule, a play on the word- ridicule, the French word for ridiculous, due to their very small, somewhat impractical size. However, we learned they held what was truly necessary: "snuff-boxes, handkerchiefs, fans, prayer books, Bon-Bons, visiting tickets.” |
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| To quote an eloquently spoken man, Freddy Mercury, "I want to lead the Victorian life, surrounded by exquisite clutter." Paulette introduced us to a way of life that we hadn't really known, in a most exquisite way! |
2 comments:
Me too, me too always wish I was in the victorian times! Beautiful!
Paulette brought to life what it was like to be a woman in Victorian Civil War. I loved it. But, I can't imagine actually having to wear the clothes of that time. I think I'd have been playing Annie Oakley somewhere out west instead.
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