Examples of 18th Century Women's Clothing for the New France Working Class

A Chemise, or Shift,  Under All Layers

Layers, layers, layers. . .That’s what it takes to interpret the clothing of the working class. . .While I am not a stickler to 100%  authenticity, there are certain guidelines that should be addressed if a person wishes to display a visual language to the 18^th century onlookers. . .It is a facet of interpreting any century that will be much appreciated by those who want to see history come alive.

For years I visited Colonial Williamsburg, knowing that what I saw there. . .be it clothing. . .wares. . .or buildings. . .I could depend on the fact that it was as authentic as possible in our era of time. . . Then a dream came true and I found myself employed there. My greatest joy was being able to dress in authentic reproductions of 18^th century English colony clothing. I appreciated even more the hard work that the Costume Design Center went to in order to provide period clothing that was as accurate as possible and still be worn each day by the interpreters. Their standards of appearance were well set. Many did not like having to measure up to those standards each day, but I knew that when I was a visitor, it made all the difference. 

“Visitors to Colonial Williamsburg receive a lasting and important visual image of life in Colonial America from the clothing worn by our employees. Costumes represent period clothing. When worn correctly, the costume is an important interpretive tool helping to convey an accurate picture of the eighteenth century. Therefore, employees must pay particular attention to the regulations concerning the proper way to appear in costume before the public.” Standards of Appearance, Costume Design Center

While I worked in the Mary Dickinson shop (based on that of a milliner’s establishment) I learned a few of the ways that research was done on the period clothing. Art of the 18^th century played a huge part in their decisions. What better way than studying the paintings and prints of the 18^th century to base a costume on? It’s true that they didn’t get it totally right in the beginning, when there wasn’t enough time to do extensive research, but throughout the years, better choices have been made. The research is on-going to this day. As more is learned, changes are made.

So when I decided to study and make period clothing that might have been worn in New France, I began looking at French art and sketches of the people who worked and lived here. There isn’t a lot to go on, so it has taken much time with only a little insight. I have found some striking lap-overs between the French and English dress, but there seems to be a few distinctions, too. The English working class stuck closer to subdued colors, often weaving and dying their own cloth. While the higher class of the British colonies did wear fine silks that were bright and exciting, the common woman rarely had this choice. On the other hand, the French loved color in bright prints and stripes in every class, often combining different prints together. The ladies of New France were not allowed to weave their own cloth. It had to come from the King’s storehouses, thus offering a better fabric from many parts of the world to the working woman. Blues, yellow or golds, reds seem to be popular and suitable for short gowns, jackets and petticoats. Older women wore more subdued colors but the prints available for them were in the same style.  Stripes, in a ticking type of weave, were also popular paired with the prints.

Petticoats (skirts) were shorter than the English and shoes were often Indian moccasins instead of stiff leather shoes. Aprons might be of white muslin but more often than not, they were of checks or stripes in various colors. Under it all, the chemise (shift as the English call it) was worn. The French corset  was the same as the English stays, just a different word.  A cap might be worn on her head, but often a blue (most popular) scarf was tied over the hair bandana style. I have noticed that in some sketches, when a cap is worn, a ribbon of blue (most popular) might be tied around it. Nothing that I have found about their clothing is the least bit somber.

I’ve included a few of the sketches that I found for a visual view of the French clothing probably suitable as period clothing of those living west of the Mississippi River in the 18th century. The people of New France enjoyed Life and they let their clothing speak of their happy-go-lucky attitude with their clothing. . .just as interpreters of the time period will hopefully do in this present day.

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