Quick & Dirty Research

Much Ado About Fashion!

Much Ado About Fashion!

Was fashion a thing in a rural town in western Massachusetts at the turn of the 20th c.? Kissed by a Midwife's Ada Pattison's wardrobe took some research. What did a midwife wear in 1876? How about her patients? A rural cabin dweller? A notable physician? And little Marigold. She needed some duds too!

As a student at Mount Holyoke, I took an Introduction to Theater course. Since a couple of my kids had grown up in theater, I assumed (oopsie) that I knew all the things and that this class might be a slam dunk for me. The semester's syllabus was divided into parts—one studying historical plays, another to learn about set design and technical production, and also a study of costumes and casting, from what I recall. We had papers to write and I was the director of a scene in a play that my cast, technical crew, and I were tasked with reimagining from A Doll's House. We produced it in the black box theatre at Mount Holyoke for the entire class. Costumes were available to us along with the help of a professional Costume Designer, who once worked on the Great White Way, otherwise called Broadway. 

The scene assignment was our final exam and we did well BUT had points off because a zipper broke on a costume and that caused a delay. I argued that it wasn't our fault but the professor disagreed. However, the costumes are what matters here. I came up with a definition of sorts. When we recreate a time period, they are called costumes, but what we wear every day is called fashion. And of course there is fashion of all levels in costume.

In the photo above, you'll see two women I knew--my mother on the right and her mother on the left. I don't have a date for the photo but my grandmother died in 1958 so it was mid 20th c. at the latest. A lot can be gleaned from such a photo.The details I notice first are the length of the dresses, the shoes, the sleeves with the puffs at the shoulders, and the absence of hats and gloves. Also there is jewelry around my grandmother's neck and a broach on my mom's dress. She wears a watch too. Not being an expert in fashion (if you know me in person, you'll agree!), I'd say they are pretty stylish for this era. 

I purchased an old theatre book on costumes which gave me some hints for different time periods when I started my manuscripts too. Other places I checked were countless newspaper ads, the Sears catalogue, old photos, artwork of the late 19th/early 20th c., plus I did lots of internet searches. I especially thought these sites were good ones to inform what little Marigold, then bigger Marigold might wear. Plausibility is key.

For Ada, Kissed by a Midwife begins with her wearing her mourning attire, since she is newly widowed. The style originated in Victorian England, with accoutrements in keeping with one's socioeconomic status. Ada did not have much money so she wears a plain black dress with a voluminous skirt in the opening chapter. She can't haul her mourning clothes around to deliver babies so when she practices midwifery, she chooses a practical hard cotton dress, adding a black armband. Her mourning attire gets terribly stretched out by her pregnancy so she decides to recycle it into curtains. 

Accessories in the late 19th c. such as bonnets, gloves, menswear with adornments like tie pins and rings or watches for my stories were sourced from sites like Pinterest or targeted academic sources or newspapers. It's important to know what's underneath the clothing as well!

I often look at Etsy or ebay to see if anyone is offering vintage clothing that matches what I need. Of course, these sources could be wrong but it's kind of fun to see what's offered and maybe add a certain type of collar or belt to my stories. Though my books are not about fashion, little details, such as an appropriately worn apron or boot, offer scaffolding to the veracity of a scene. 

And I only need to look in my cellar to find my mom's old raccoon coat, a 1950's dress a la the Andrews Sisters, or a wedding dress that is yellowed and rumpled that dates back to the early 20th century, like this one, likely a great aunt's.

Me? I prefer my Mount Holyoke sweatshirt and a pair of jeans!