Muslin, in fine white varieties, was the fabric of choice for ladies of discerning taste in the 19th century. It was certainly well represented at Canada’s very first Dominion Day garden party held on July 1st,1870 in Tomorrow at Daybreak: “It was a balmy July afternoon, ideal for the community picnic
underway to celebrate the creation of the Dominion of Canada on July 1st,
1867. Dominion Day had now become a public holiday to commemorate
Confederation, albeit twelve years after the fact, and all were in a festive
mood. Women wore their best full-length white muslin dresses, many in the
fashionable princess line. Their elegant straw hats were elaborately festooned
with artificial flowers and ribbons of every colour, and of course there were plenty
of parasols.” The men in attendance who no doubt appreciated the beautifully dressed
ladies around them, were well-turned out themselves in the male finery of the
day: “The men were attired in their Sunday best with several wearing top
hats. Pate wasn’t much for stiff and staid apparel. Even if he could afford to
be appropriately tailored, he would still prefer a clean shirt and sturdy
trousers. However, in salute to the occasion he had polished his boots. And if
his hat looked a bit too battered, well so be it. He truly didn’t care about
such things. At twenty-four he was his own man, and prepared to defend that to
anyone who might suggest otherwise.” It seems muslin was
everywhere — represented in both women’s and men’s fashions, the latter enjoying its versatility in shirt components and
underwear. A fabric that achieved massive popularity, the origin of this plain-weave
cotton textile actually predated the 1800’s. Says icefabrics.com: “The history
of muslin fabric traces back to the Indian subcontinent, particularly in Dhaka
(present-day Bangladesh). During the Mughal Empire, muslin cloth fabric was
highly prized for its exceptional fineness. It was considered a luxury fabric,
worn by royalty and traded across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The
delicate weave and lightweight feel earned it global fame, with some muslins so
fine they were referred to as ‘woven air.’” So because air, woven or otherwise, is for the most part transparent
(when not cloudy or opaque), muslin was considered highly improper for women’s
outer garments by a shocked public according to bbc.com: “In late 18th-Century Europe, a new fashion led to
an international scandal. In fact, an entire social class was accused of
appearing in public naked. “The culprit was Dhaka muslin, a precious fabric imported from the city of
the same name… It was not like the muslin of today. Made via an elaborate,
16-step process with a rare cotton that only grew along the banks of the holy
Meghna river, the cloth was considered one of the great treasures of the age.
It had a truly global patronage, stretching back thousands of years – deemed
worthy of clothing statues of goddesses in ancient Greece, countless
emperors from distant lands, and generations of local Mughal royalty.” Muslin was also produced in silk and
wool, but cotton surpassed them all in terms of fashionableness and acceptance
by a discerning public. “European merchants during the 17th and 18th centuries imported
large quantities of cotton muslin material, fuelling the demand across fashion
houses and noble courts. Sadly, colonial trade restrictions and industrial
shifts reduced traditional muslin production. However, the fabric retained its
popularity because of its affordability and usability in daily life.”
(icefabrics.com) Then, as now, nobility greatly influenced style in many parts of the
world. It was in the latter 1700’s that Marie Antoinette appeared in a simple
muslin dress that understandably provoked outrage in royal court as well as in
social circles. This little white dress was appalling, but ultimately transformative: “Worn without stays
or corseting, the dress was a scandal in its day. Not only was the simplicity
of the dress unlike the lavishly beaded and embroidered gowns then in style,
but it was also made of a semi-transparent cloth that could be somewhat
revealing. (gallery.ca) “Although the dress
worn by Marie Antoinette in Vigée Le Brun’s portrait is voluminous and rather
frilly, by the end of the century, the silhouette had changed considerably, to
a more columnar form redolent of Classical Greece. It was also adapted by the era’s
“hipsters” who shocked polite society with virtually see-through versions of
the gown that hugged the figure.” In hindsight, given today’s predilection for wearing revealing
clothing, Marie’s dress seems modest by comparison. Nevertheless a trend in the
styling of women’s dresses had begun and the mood for muslin continued
unabated. In the 1800’s it was all the rage. That’s not to say that everyone
was running around in see-through dresses, although some were inclined to do
so. By contrast, extravagant muslin gowns were created that stayed true to the acceptable
social mores of the time.
Meet
Aunt Nell
Below is a photo of Aunt Nell in her fine white
muslin gown, an image I found identified as such among a collection of old
family photos although sadly I have as yet been unable to place her in the
family tree. Nevertheless I’m sure there’s a great-great attached to her name,
as more dedicated sojourns into genealogy may someday reveal. In any event, in
addition to her lavishly constructed muslin dress, we also have to appreciate
her spectacular rose corsage. But in considering all those oceans of
beautiful white muslin in the days before modern washing machines and dry
cleaners, one can only imagine the labour-intensive work necessary to keep them
in top condition. And of course in addition to normal maintenance, there would
also be the inevitable stains to contend with. Says Mimimatthews.com: “In the Victorian era, women’s clothing was just as likely to spot,
stain, and soil as it is today. For fine fabrics, this posed a particular
dilemma. Ladies couldn’t simply throw their printed muslin dresses into a
washing machine or send their silk ball gowns to the dry cleaners. Instead,
they relied on their lady’s maids to keep their clothing clean and in good
order. Not only would a competent lady’s maid know how to sponge and press a
gown for wear, she would also know precisely how to wash a delicate muslin or
remove an oil stain from silk.” Muslin fabric was
also available in patterns or prints, and those items required extra effort
according to Mimimatthews.com: “These dresses could be washed, but if the
fabric was patterned or printed, great care had to be taken to preserve the
colors. For this reason, it was inadvisable for a muslin dress to be washed in
hot water. Soap, when applied directly to the fabric, was equally harmful.
Instead, the 1856 edition of Godey’s Lady’s Book recommends that a
lady’s maid: ‘Make
a lather by boiling some soap and water together; let it stand until it is
sufficiently cool for use, and previously to putting the dress into it, throw
in a handful of salt.’ “After soaking,
the muslin dress would go through a double rinse in ‘clear cold water’ and
salt. The dress was then carefully wrung out and hung to dry with the folds
spread “as open as possible” so that no part of the dress was lying over
another part.” Muslin’s fundamental composition has not changed
over time, but the “quality, fineness, and source of the cotton fibre
have changed significantly since the 1800s.” It is still an
essential fabric, celebrated not only for its historical prominence but also
for its modern applications. From baby swaddles to haute couture, muslin
remains a fabric that is both traditional and practical — lightweight and breathable in either bleached, unbleached or organic
options. I personally keep a good supply of this fabric on hand for quilting
projects. The various types of muslin available now include the
ultra-lightweight gauze which can be styled into clothing or used by doctors
for wound dressing; sheer and lightweight Swiss muslin that is typically
patterned, plain and lightweight; Mull, which is more of a worker fabric adding
body and structure to garments, and lastly muslin produced in thick, coarse sheeting.
And Then There’s Dinah Dinah Gladstone, the bold tart in
Tomorrow at Daybreak, was used to the best of everything and so would have
chosen muslin for most of her garments. However she didn’t much care what they
were made of when it came time to take them off: “She pulled the blouse over her head, revealing her
lace-covered chemise beneath. He felt a surge of energy charge through him. It
seemed he was in better shape than he thought he was. Leave it to Dinah to fix
what was wrong. “She unbuttoned her riding skirt and let it pool at
her feet, clad now only in her thin undergarments. She began to dance
suggestively for his entertainment, and he was a rapt audience. How had he come
across such a delectable creature? A woman who stated without apology what she
wanted from life, and offered up her body to him on a silver platter. “’I wish there was music,’” she called over her
shoulder, laughing her tinkling laugh. Extending her arms, she swayed to an imaginary tune,
obviously basking in his unblinking stare. “He took his shirt off…”
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