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Art Nouveau 1880s English Maiden
Here is a cute maiden in a fancy dress. The dress was inspired by Japanese prints. This was part of the sensibility of the art nouveau period. One can easy see the transition to dresses of the 1920s. The dresses became flat, and the feminine figure was no longer outline. Corsages were thrown away and now dresses had to be comfortable. The dress became a flat canvas for illustrator to paint on. This was part of a new trend related to the patent wars of fashion designers. They were in the middle of trying to make a profit. Dresses were...
Spanish Princess 1780s
Here is a beautiful Spanish princess from the 1780s. During her time, the Spanish people where stuck in the 1500s. They still had to deal with the Inquisition. It was the final stronghold for that torturous institution. They where trying to hold onto that place with tooth and nail. Its hard trying to stay relevant. The rest of Europe was slowly entering the modern age. A good chunk no longer believed in witches and magic. As such, the Inquisition was no longer relevant. So, Spain was its final stronghold. This is well noted in this pretty outfit. Princesses were still...
Hindu maiden from the 1910s
The maiden is not really Hindu, rather her outfit is in mimicry of Hindu fashion. Europeans one day rediscovered Japan and India. They became enamored with the exoticism they perceived in both countries. One can always recognize Japanese influence in the lines. My maiden has line demarcations. Makeup too was influenced by Japan. Before then, all women were pasty faced weirdoes. Through movies, women started using makeup. Is funny if you think about it. Women in movies all had face in black and white. I am not a big fan of makeup. Well, this is easy to notice if you...
Little American Girl circa 1870s
This is a cute little girl from the US. Her dress was common in the 1870s. The middle class of American was starting to exists. She is a northerner lass. The outfit shows influence from France. France was still relevant as far as fashion is concerned. Women would see French magazines, before mimicking the dresses for their boutiques. During the impressionism movement, a new idea was blossoming. The idea of just chilling or having downtime was popularized. In response to this, children were finally allowed to be children. This is reflected in their attires. No longer were children treated like...
German Maid from the 1100s
Around the 1800s, there grew an interest fairy tales and medieval knight stories. It was a bit of residue from the Romanticism period. This interest in those stories was a direct result of the Neoclassical movement. Those neoclassicals believed in science and logic, and slowly were moving towards atheism. Romanticism was a turn away from logic and reason. They wanted to believe that there was more to life than what could be measured in a laboratory. And so, we have the interest in fairy tales. This dress is from one of the maidens in a sleeping beauty picture. It is...