OVERVIEW
Womenswear
“From 1810 to 1820 dresses became slightly more structured with padded hems and firmer fabrics, such as twills and even some taffeta. Soft colors returned to fashion after a 10-year absence. Sleeves began to grow fuller at the shoulder and high waists endured throughout this period but lowered slightly as the years went by.
Skirt hems widened ever so slightly. Fabric trimmings (often in the same fabric as the dress) were used extensively.”
Fig. 1 - Artist unknown. Women 1800-1819 Part 2, Plate 040, 1800-1819. New York: The Costume Institute, Plate 040. Gift of Woodman Thompson. Source: The Costume Institute
Fig. 2 - Designer unknown. Silk gown, 1817-1821. Silk. Bath: Fashion Museum Bath. Source: Pinterest
Fig. 3 - Designer unknown. Tapestry weave slippers, 1813. Linen, white kid, leather. Source: Pinterest
Fig. 4 - Joseph Paelinck (Belgian, 1781-1839). Frederica Wilhelmina, Queen of the Netherlands, 1817. Oil on canvas; 223.5 x 175.3 cm (88 x 69 in). Providence: Rhode Island School of Design, 56.090B. Museum Works of Art Fund. Source: Pinterest
Menswear
Wikipedia writes of early 19th-century menswear:
“This period saw the final abandonment of lace, embroidery, and other embellishment from serious men’s clothing outside of formalized court dress—it would not reappear except as an affectation of Aesthetic dress in the 1880s and its successor, the “Young Edwardian” look of the 1960s. Instead, cut and tailoring became much more important as an indicator of quality. This transformation can be attributed in part to an increased interest in antiquity stemming from the discovery of classical engravings, including the Elgin Marbles. The figures depicted in classical art were viewed as an exemplar of the ideal natural form, and an embodiment of Neoclassical ideas. Therefore, in the 18th century, dress was simplified and greater emphasis was put on tailoring to enhance the natural form of the body.”
Fig. 1 - Designer unknown (French). Coat, ca. 1810. Wool, silk, wood; 105.8 cm (centre back), 70.5 cm (sleeve length). Melbourne: National Gallery of Victoria. Source: Pinterest
Fig. 2 - Andrea Appiani (Italian, 1754-1817). Napoleon, King of Italy, 1805. Oil on canvas; dimensions unavailable cm. Source: Pinterest
Fig. 3 - Jacques Louis David (French, 1748-1825). General Étienne-Maurice Gérard (1773–1852), 1816. Oil on canvas; 197.2 x 136.2 cm (77 5/8 x 53 5/8 in). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 65.14.5. Purchase, Rogers and Fletcher Funds, and Mary Wetmore Shively Bequest, in memory of her husband, Henry L. Shively, M.D., 1965. Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Fig. 4 - Georges Jacques Gatine (French, ca. 1773–after 1841). Le Goût du Jour, No. 21: Les Modernes Incroyables, from Caricatures Parisiennes, 1815. Etching, hand-colored; sheet: 37.1 x 26.3 cm plate: 32.6 x 23 cm (sheet: 4 5/8 x 10 3/8 in plate: 12 13/16 x 9 1/16 in). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1971.564.194. The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1971. Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
CHILDREN’S WEAR
Fig. 1 - Théodore Gericault (French, 1791-1824). Alfred Dedreux (1810–1860) as a Child, 1819-20. Oil on canvas; 45.7 x 38.1 cm (18 x 15 in). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 41.17. The Alfred N. Punnett Endowment Fund, 1941. Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Fig. 2 - Francisco Goya y Lucientes (Spanish, 1746-1828). Portrait of a Young Man in Brown, possibly Javier Goya, 1810-1815. Oil on canvas; 81.3 x 58.1 cm (32 x 22 7/8 in). Boston: The Museum of Fine Arts, 48.558. Gift of John Taylor Spaulding. Source: The Museum of Fine Arts
Fig. 3 - Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes) (Spanish, 1746-1828). José Costa y Bonells (died l870), Called Pepito, ca. 1810. Oil on canvas; 105.1 x 84.5 cm (41 3/8 x 33 1/4 in). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 61.259. Gift of Countess Bismarck, 1961. Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
References:
- “1800 to 1810.” Vintage Fashion Guild : Fashion Timeline : 1800 To 1810. February 13, 2011. Accessed September 16, 2016. http://vintagefashionguild.org/fashion-timeline/1800-to-1810/.
- “1795-1820 in Western Fashion.” Wikipedia. Accessed September 20, 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1795%E2%80%931820_in_Western_fashion#Overview_2
Historical Context
Wikipedia: 1810-1819
Rulers:
- England: George III (1760-1820)
- France:
- Napoleon (1804-1814)
- Louis XVIII (1815-1824)
- Spain
- Joseph Bonaparte (1808-1813)
- Ferdinand VII (1808-1806 and 1813-1829)
Map of Europe, 1810. Source: Emerson Kent
Events:
Timeline Entries
Primary/Period Sources
Resources for Fashion History Research
To discover primary/period sources, explore the categories below.
Have a primary source to suggest? Or a newly digitized periodical/book to announce? Contact us!
Fashion Plate Collections (Digitized)
- Costume Institute Fashion Plate collection
- Casey Fashion Plates (LA Public Library) - search for the year that interests you
NYC-Area Special Collections of Fashion Periodicals/Plates
- FIT Special Collections (to make an appointment, click here)
- Costume Institute/Watson Library @ the Met (register here)
- New York Public Library
- Brooklyn Museum Library (email for access)
Fashion Periodicals (Digitized)
Etiquette Books (Digitized)
Secondary Sources
Also see the 19th-century overview page for more research sources... or browse our Zotero library.
