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I. THE STORY OF PERIOD COSTUMES:II. EGYPT AND ASSYRIA

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Mrs. Langtry (Lady de Bathe) in Evening
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This is a theme, the detailed development of which lies outside the purpose of our
book. It has delightful possibilities, however, if the plentiful data on the subject,
given in scientific books, were to be condensed and simplified.
CHAPTER XV
I. THE STORY OF PERIOD COSTUMES
A Résumé
"UR present modes of dress (aside from the
variations imposed by fashion) are the resultant of
all the fashions of the last 2000 years."
W. G. SUMNER in Folkways.
The earliest Egyptian frescoes, invaluable pre-historic data, show us woman as she
was costumed, housed and occupied when the painting was done. On those age-old
walls she appears as man's companion, his teacher, plaything, slave, and ruler;--in
whatever rôle the fates decreed. The same frescoed walls have pictured records of
how Egypt tilled the soil, built houses, worked in metals, pottery and sculpture.
Woman is seen beside her man, who slays the beasts, at times from boats propelled
through reeded jungles; and hers is always that rigid outline, those long, quiet eyes
depicted in profile, with massive head-dress, and strange upstanding ornaments,
abnormally curled wig, and close, straight garments to the feet (or none at all),
heavy collar, wristbands and anklets of precious metals with gems inset, or chased
in strange designs. About her, the calm mysterious poise and childlike acquiescence
of those who know themselves to be the puppets of the gods. In this naïveté lies one
of the great charms of Egyptian art.
As sculptured caryatide, we see woman of Egypt clad in transparent sheath-like
skirt, nude above the waist, with the usual extinguishing head-dress and heavy
collar, bracelets and anklets. We see her as woman, mute, law-abiding, supporting
the edifice; woman with steady gaze and silent lips; one wonders what was in the
mind of that lotus eater of the Nile who carved his dream in stone.
Those would reproduce Egyptian colour schemes for costumes, house or stage
settings, would do well to consult the book of Egyptian designs, brought out in
1878 by the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris, and available in the large libraries.
On the walls of the Necropolis of Memphis, Thi and his wife (Fifth Dynasty)
appear in a delightful hunting scene. The man in the prow of his boat is about to
spear an enormous beast, while his wife, seated in the bottom, wraps her arm about
his leg!
Among the earliest portraits of an Egyptian woman completely clothed, is that of
Queen Taia, wife of Amenophis, Eighteenth Dynasty, who wears a striped gown
with sleeves of the kimono type and a ribbon tied around her waist, the usual
ornamental collar and bracelets of gold, and an elaborate head-dress with deep blue
curtain, extending to the waist, behind.
Full of illuminating suggestions is an example of Woman in Egyptian decoration,
to be seen as a fresco in the Necropolis of Thebes. It shows the governess of a
young prince (Eighteenth Dynasty) holding the child on her lap. The feet of the
little prince rest on a stool, supported by nine crouching human beings--men; each
has a collar about his neck, to which a leash is attached, and all nine leashes are
held in the hands of the child!
The illustrations of the Egyptian funeral papyrus, The Book of the Dead, show
woman in the rôle of wife and companion. It is the story of a high-born Egyptian
woman, Tutu, wife of Ani, Royal Scribe and Scribe of the Sacred Revenue of all
the gods of Thebes. Tutu, the long-eyed Egyptian woman, young and straight, with
raven hair and active form, a Kemäit of Amon, which means she belonged to the
religious chapter or congregation of the great god of Thebes. She was what might
be described as lady-in-waiting or honorary priestess, to the god Amon. She, too,
wears the typical Egyptian head-dress and straight, long white gown, hanging in
close folds to her feet. One vignette shows Tutu with arm about her husband's leg.
This seems to have been a naïve Egyptian way of expressing that eternal
womanliness, that tender care for those beloved, that quality inseparable from
woman if worthy the name, and by reason of which with man, her mate, she has run
the gamut of human experience, meeting the demands of her time. There is no
dodging the issue, woman's story recorded in art, shows that she has always
responded to Fate's call; followed, led, ruled, been ruled, amused, instructed, sent
her men into battle as Spartan mothers did to return with honour or on their shields,
and when Fate so decreed, led them to battle, like Joan of Arc.
II. EGYPT AND ASSYRIA
In Egypt and Assyria the lines of the torso were kept straight, with no contracting
of body at waist line. Woman was clad in a straight sheet-like garment, extending
from waist to feet with only metal ornaments above; necklace, bracelets and
armlets; or a straight dress from neck to meet the heavy anklets. Sandals were worn
on the feet. The head was encased in an abnormally curled wig, with pendent
ringlets, and the whole clasped by a massive head-dress, following the contour of
head and having as part of it, a curtain or veil, reaching down behind, across
shoulders and approaching waist line. The Sphinx wears a characteristic Egyptian
head-dress.
PLATE XIX
Mrs. Condé Nast, artist and patron of the arts,
noted for her understanding of her own type
and the successful costuming of it.
Mrs. Nast was Miss Clarisse Coudert. Her
French blood accounts, in part, for her innate
feeling for line and colour. It is largely due to
the keen interest and active services of Mrs.
Nast that Vogue and Vanity Fair have become
the popular mirrors and prophetic crystal
balls of fashion for the American woman.
Mrs. Nast is here shown in street costume.
The photograph is by Baron de Meyer, who
has made a distinguished art of photography.
We are here shown the value of a carefully
considered outline which is sharply registered
on the background by posing figure against
the light, a method for suppressing all details
not effecting the outline.
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Photograph by Baron de Meyer
Mrs. Condé Nast in Street Dress
III. EGYPT, BYZANTIUM, GREECE AND ROME
During the periods antedating Christ, when the Roman empire was all-powerful,
the women of Egypt, Byzantium, Greece and Rome, wore gilded wigs (see Plate I,
Frontispiece), arranged in Psyche knots, and banded; sandals on their feet, and a
one-piece garment, confined at the waist by a girdle, which fell in close folds to the
feet, a style to develop later into the classic Greek.
The Greek garment consisted of a great square of white linen, draped in the deft
manner of the East, to adapt it to the human form, at once concealing and
disclosing the body to a degree of perfection never since attained. There were
undraped Greek garments left to hang in close, clinging folds, even in the classic
period. It is this undraped and finely-pleated robe (see Plate XXI) hanging close to
the figure, and the two-piece garment (see Plate IV) with its short tunic of the same
material, extending just below the waist line in front, and drooping in a cascade of
ripples at the sides, as low as the knees, that Fortuny (Paris) has reproduced in his
tea gowns.
An Englishwoman told us recently that her great-great-grandmother used to
describe how she and others of her time (Empire Period) wet their clothes to make
them cling to their forms, à la Grecque!
The classic Greek costume was often a sleeveless garment, falling in folds, and
when confined at waist line with cord the upper part bloused over it; the material
was draped so as to leave the arms free, the folds being held in place by ornamental
clasps upon the shoulders. The fitting was practically unaided by cutting; squares or
straight lengths of linen being adjusted to the human form by clever manipulation.
The adjusting of these folds, as we have said, developed into an art.
The use of large squares or shawls of brilliantly dyed linen, wool and later silk, is
conspicuous in all the examples showing woman as decoration.
The long Gothic cape succeeds it, that enveloping circular garment, with and
without the hood, and clasped at the throat, in which the Mother of God is
invariably depicted. Her cape is the celestial royal blue.
The stained silk gauzes, popular with Greek dancers, were made into garments
following the same classic lines, and so were the gymnasium costumes of the
young girls of Greece. Isadora Duncan reproduces the latter in many of her dances.
In the chapter entitled "The Story of Textiles" in The Art of Interior Decoration, we
have given a résumé of this branch of our subject.
The type of costume worn by woman throughout the entire Roman Empire during
its most glorious period, was classic Greek, not only in general outline, but in
detail. Note that the collarless neck was cut round and a trifle low; the lines of
gown were long and followed each other; the trimming followed the hem of neck
and sleeves and skirt; the hair, while artificially curled and sometimes intertwined
with pearls and other gems, after being gilded, was so arranged as to show the
contour of the head, then gathered into a Psyche knot. Gold bands, plain or
jewelled, clasped and held the hair in place.
In the Gold Room of the Metropolitan Museum; in noted collections in Europe; in
portraits and costume plates, one sees that the earrings worn at that period were
great heavy discs, or half discs, of gold; large gold flowers, in the Etruscan style;
large rings with groups of pendants,--usually three on each ring, and the drop
earrings so much in vogue to-day.
Necklaces were broad, like collars, round and made of hand-wrought links and
beads, with pendants. These filled in the neck of the dress and were evidently
regarded as a necessary part of the costume.
The simple cord which confined the Greek woman's draperies at the waist, in Egypt
and Byzantium, became a sash; a broad strip of material which was passed across
the front of body at the waist, crossed behind and then brought tight over the hips to
tie in front, low down, the ends hanging square to knees or below.
In Egypt a shoulder cape, with kerchief effect in front, broadened behind to a
square, and reached to the waist line.
We would call attention to the fact that when the classic type of furniture and
costume were revived by Napoleon I and the Empress Josephine, it was the
Egyptian version, as well as the Greek. One sees Egyptian and Etruscan styles in
the straight, narrow garment of the First Empire reaching to ankles, with parallel
rows of trimming at the bottom of skirt.
The Empire style of parted hair, with cascade of curls each side, riotous curling
locks outlining face, with one or two ringlets brought in front of ears, and the
Psyche knot (which later in Victorian days lent itself to caricature, in a feather-
duster effect at crown of head), were inspired by those curled and gilded creations
such as Thaïs wore.
Hats, as we use the term to-day, were worn by the ancients. Some will remember
the Greek hat Sibyl Sanderson wore with her classic robes when she sang
Massenet's "Phédre," in Paris. It was Chinese in type. One sees this type of hat on
Tanagra Statuettes in our museums.
Apropos of hats, designers to-day are constantly resurrecting models found in
museums, and some of us recognise the lines and details of ancient head-dresses in
hats turned out by our most up-to-date milliners.
Parasols and umbrellas were also used by Assyrians and Greeks. Sandals which
only covered the soles of the feet were the usual footwear, but Greeks and
Etruscans are shown in art as wearing also moccasin-like boots and shoes laced up
the front.
Of course, the strapped slippers of the Empire were a version of classic sandals.
As we have said, the Greek gown and toga are found wherever the Roman Empire
reached. The women of what are now France and England clothed themselves at
that time in the same manner as the cultured class of Rome. Naturally the Germanic
branch which broke from the parent stem, and drifted northward to strike root in
unbroken forests, bordering on untried seas, wore skins and crudely woven
garments, few and strongly made, but often picturesque.
Though but slightly reminiscent of the traditional costume, we know that the
women of the third and fourth centuries wore a short, one-piece garment, with large
earrings, heavy metal armlets above the elbow and at wrists. The chain about the
waist, from which hung a knife, for protection and domestic purposes, is
descendent from the savage's cord and ancestor to that lovely bauble, the chatelaine
of later days, with its attached fan, snuff-box and jewelled watch.
PLATE XX
Mrs. Condé Nast in an evening gown. Here
again is a costume the beauty of which
evades the dictum of fashion in the narrow
sense of the term.
This picture has the distinction of a well-
posed and finely executed old master and
because possessing beauty of a traditional
sort will continue to give pleasure long after
the costume has perished.