Women’s Fashion: Georgian or Regency?
The easiest way to tell Georgian, or late eighteenth century, from Regency, or early nineteenth century, women’s fashion apart is by the waistline.
Georgian waistlines sat at the hip, often with a point just below the navel. Georgian dresses were often in several pieces. The petticoat was an overskirt made of the outer fabric that went over the undergarments and tied at the back. A stomacher, a triangular piece made of the outer fabric, was attached to the stays with ribbon and usually pinned to the outer gown. An outer gown, shaped like a dressing gown, was open in the front and tied at the waist and usually pinned to the stomacher. Side panniers were common in formal gowns, padding at the hips to widen the silhouette.
Regency waistlines rose to just under the bust, sometimes called an Empire waist after the same period in French history. Napoleon’s empress Josephine popularized the high waist. Side panniers gave way to straight silhouettes.
In this example, the doll on the left is Georgian, while the two dolls on the right are Regency. The center doll was made by Beverly Dahl, while I don’t have sources for the other two. The house is 1:12 scale, so these dolls are about six inches tall.
My favorite item in the colonial house, the yellow bed, is featured in a separate post — Yellow Bed.
Photos by Karen Nyenhuis. Dollhouse from a family collection.
Georgian Hair.
This six-inch doll has a set of wigs by Beverly Dahl. Women in the eighteenth century did not wear wigs unless they had lost their real hair due to disease or age. They did use hairpieces, however, to add extra curls and buns. Hairpieces clipped into their natural hair and made fancy hairstyles easier to execute.
These wigs are twenty-five years old and a bit worse for wear, but fortunately the curls and plaits are intact.
