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Plate I.—Boots and Shoes from the 14th to the 19th Centuries.

  1. Charles II.
  2. James II.
  3. William and Mary.
  4. George II.
  5. George III., 1770.
  6. George III., 1760.
  7. George III., 1780-1800.
  8. 1870-1880.
  9. William and Mary.
  10. 1680-1700.
  11. 1680-1702.
  12. 1750-1775.
  13. 1580-1625.
  14. 1710-1730.
  15. Henry VIII.
  16. Semi-Clog, 1780-1800.
  17. Henry VIII.
  18. 1778-1795.
  19. Late 15th Century or early 16th Century.
  20. 1500-1540.
  21. Late 14th Century to middle of 15th Century.
  22. 1530-1555.
  23. 1535-1555.

A word on the most condemned flow of fashion during the Victorian era. There are many dresses of real charm to be found amongst the mass of heavy styles which must not be overlooked in studying design and style. Even the crinoline dress, when treated with the exquisite silk gauzes, as Fig. 3 in Plates [XXXI] and [XXXIII] (see pp. [270]-[282]), was as alluring as any woman could wish, and the original design of the jacket in the latter figure, with its richly embroidered, long-skirted front cut short at the back, arranged itself perfectly on this type of undersetting. There was notable refinement of effect and beauty of proportion in many dresses of the sixties, as exemplified in Fig. A, Plate [XXXII] (see p. [279]), the waist being set rather high, and the very full skirt carried back by the crinoline being held thus with its cross ties.

CHAPTER I

PREHISTORIC DRESS. FEMALE.

The woman's attire would have been chiefly a shortish skirt or wrap of coarse linen, wool, or leather, gathered in front or folded at one hip; grass cloth may also have been in use in most primitive tribes. Probably the upper part of the body was kept bare, except for many ornaments and necklaces, but a bodice or jacket cut in the same simple form as the male shirt, with a heavy belt or girdle, would have been used, and certainly a large shawl, which could be wrapped over the head and round the figure during inclement hours. Dyed or painted patterns on the cloths might well have been also in use, their chief designs being stripes, circles or dots, zigzag lines, diamonds and plaid squares, rope patterns and plaited patterns. The hair would have been loose, plaited, or coiled on top, held by bone pins or circlets of bronze.

PREHISTORIC DRESS. MALE.