NO SUNSCREEN, NO PROBLEM
Yes, the Victorians were obsessed with fresh air (Queen Victoria herself never saw a window she didn’t want to open!) and they were pretty fond of sunshine, too. But they were not at all interested in what a day out in all of that light and air would do to a lady’s skin. In the late 1800s, there were no reliable sunscreens, and no really good ways to deal with the after-effects of a sunburn beyond home remedies like buttermilk to ease the pain or lemon juice for the freckles and discoloration. Not to mention the fact that the idea of a status suntan was still several decades away.
In the Gilded Age, we are still very much in the era of fashionable pallor. With, of course, the whole room full of unpleasant issues related to that lily whiteness. For what we would now consider all the wrong reasons, ladies were absolutely determined to avoid sun damage with any means they had. Problem was, they didn’t have very many.
Mostly, it was umbrellas and parasols. Big, serviceable ones for the beach, and cute little ones for the promenade, but always something. Fashion plates always show ladies walking with them, and it seems like a spiffy fashion statement. Indeed it was, but before sunscreen and a fast way home, a lady needed to be prepared for anything.
Not just with the parasol, either. Every time I post 19th century beach images, at least one friend says: “Wow, look at all the clothes!” As in – all of the layers of clothes! It’s no joke: on any given day, a respectable woman would have at least four or five layers on: combinations – that’s underwear to you -- a couple of petticoats, shirtwaist, jacket and possible coat. Plus, at the time, the beach required one to add to the ensemble, not delete!
On a very hot day, the layers would be lightweight and white, but they’d still be there. Long sleeves and high necks were modest, of course, and that was important for a respectable lady in daytime…but they were equally helpful in protecting exposed skin from the sun.
Then came the accessories.
A hat, of course, and even if the current fashion was for a frilly little nod in the direction of millinery, sun protection required a serious hat. Broad-brimmed straw hats never really went out of fashion in the summer; they might be trimmed up differently, depending on the colors and preferences of the moment, but it was hard to argue with a style that did such a good job of covering the face, and often the neck and decollete as well. Veils, too, were often part of the picture, whether full face (popular when riding in a motorcar) or just tied around the hat to be pulled out for more cover as needed.
Don’t forget the gloves. Almost as important as the face were smooth hands. While the amount of work involved in running any basically clean and decent home was mind-boggling, most ladies weren’t doing that much of it. And they certainly weren’t willing to risk their dainty hands in the sun. So gloves it was. Long with a short-sleeved dress, short for a wrist-length sleeve, often with sweet little buttons at the wrist, and various adorable trimmings.
Add it all up, and you’re probably more covered for a day at the beach than you are for an autumn walk in the park, because you might be able to skip the veil and parasol!
Got a #ThrowbackThursday idea? Drop it in the comments!
In the Gilded Age, we are still very much in the era of fashionable pallor. With, of course, the whole room full of unpleasant issues related to that lily whiteness. For what we would now consider all the wrong reasons, ladies were absolutely determined to avoid sun damage with any means they had. Problem was, they didn’t have very many.
Mostly, it was umbrellas and parasols. Big, serviceable ones for the beach, and cute little ones for the promenade, but always something. Fashion plates always show ladies walking with them, and it seems like a spiffy fashion statement. Indeed it was, but before sunscreen and a fast way home, a lady needed to be prepared for anything.
Not just with the parasol, either. Every time I post 19th century beach images, at least one friend says: “Wow, look at all the clothes!” As in – all of the layers of clothes! It’s no joke: on any given day, a respectable woman would have at least four or five layers on: combinations – that’s underwear to you -- a couple of petticoats, shirtwaist, jacket and possible coat. Plus, at the time, the beach required one to add to the ensemble, not delete!
On a very hot day, the layers would be lightweight and white, but they’d still be there. Long sleeves and high necks were modest, of course, and that was important for a respectable lady in daytime…but they were equally helpful in protecting exposed skin from the sun.
Then came the accessories.
A hat, of course, and even if the current fashion was for a frilly little nod in the direction of millinery, sun protection required a serious hat. Broad-brimmed straw hats never really went out of fashion in the summer; they might be trimmed up differently, depending on the colors and preferences of the moment, but it was hard to argue with a style that did such a good job of covering the face, and often the neck and decollete as well. Veils, too, were often part of the picture, whether full face (popular when riding in a motorcar) or just tied around the hat to be pulled out for more cover as needed.
Don’t forget the gloves. Almost as important as the face were smooth hands. While the amount of work involved in running any basically clean and decent home was mind-boggling, most ladies weren’t doing that much of it. And they certainly weren’t willing to risk their dainty hands in the sun. So gloves it was. Long with a short-sleeved dress, short for a wrist-length sleeve, often with sweet little buttons at the wrist, and various adorable trimmings.
Add it all up, and you’re probably more covered for a day at the beach than you are for an autumn walk in the park, because you might be able to skip the veil and parasol!
Got a #ThrowbackThursday idea? Drop it in the comments!
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Thank you, Kathleen.