Welcome and a short paper on the Class Differences Shown by Women’s Clothing During the Civil War

Hey Guys welcome to my blog dedicated to civil war clothing and the what not. I'm going to start with a basic introduction to the basic clothing structure of a women. Enjoy ;)

Love, Emily

Class Differences are Shown by Women’s Clothing During the Civil War

Clothing worn by women in the Civil War demonstrated which class they stood in, and their occupations in life. Through each class every woman had a stature to show, therefore it reflected on her clothes. The upper class could afford to pay for an elaborate dress, while the lower or working class could afford only a simple dress. Though the working class could not afford the upper class's clothing, they attempted their best to resemble it, by ripping up their old dresses and turning them into the newer styles. The woman’s style and class she symbolized was represented by the following: underpinnings, style of the dress and the material of the dress.

The clothing the women wore under the dress were called underpinnings. The first underpinning was a chemise, which helped protect the corset from any oils in their skin. After the chemise, they put on crotchless drawers, which were their underwear. When they used the necessities with a hoop on, they had to squat because the crotchless drawers were cinched under the corset, and when that was on, it made it rather difficult to pull down the drawers. The corset, which was laced up the back with stays, helped to slim the waist and support the upper body. If the stays were tightened too tight, the woman might faint from the lack of oxygen. Women wore a corset cover over the corset, to protect it from any outside influences because the corsets could not be washed. In the case of a skirt or hoop blowing up in the wind, women wore an under petticoat to conceal her ankles. Tradition says that if a man sees a lady's ankles, he should ask her father for her hand in marriage, therefore a lady's ankles should be kept closely guarded. The next underpinning, a hoop skirt or corded petticoat, was made to replace the 12 layers of petticoats, making it a lot cooler to work in. A hoop skirt is a skirt with bone made out of either whale-bone, or steel, to help support the dress and give the famous “hourglass affect”. The lower or working class, who could not afford a hoop skirt, wore a corded petticoat or a petticoat stiffened with horsehair. Doorways and staircases were wider during this period because the whale-bones in the hoop skirt might snap if the doorways were smaller. In order to hide the bones and give a smoother appearance, they placed two petticoats over the hoop skirt. Finally, they put on the bodice and skirt, and depending on the style of the dress, attached a collar or cuffs.

The style of a dress demonstrates which class a woman stands in. The lower class wore a simple work dress with zero to very little trimmings on the dress. Bodices had dropped shoulders that gave the effect of sloped shoulders, and the bodice was darted in front with buttons down the middle. Their Sunday dress or “best dress”, had several trimmings, and a matching skirt and bodice. These dresses were called day dresses because they were worn outside their household during the day. The upper class could afford fancier dresses, so they wore a day dress around the house, and to receive guests. A visiting or tea dress had pagoda sleeves, and it revealed more of the neck and chest than a normal day dress. Finally, a ball gown, used for wearing to balls or dances, had either an off the shoulder or low-cut bodice and adorned with more trimmings and a fuller skirt. These dresses were usually one of the most prized dresses the women owned, and cost them a lot more money to make.

The design, of the material of a dress, could also display which class a woman was in, by the color and size of the print. The lower class wear material with small print and dull colors because it cost less to match the design of the material throughout the dress. The upper class could afford the bigger print and plaids because it cost more to match the larger print of the material, throughout the dress. Women used the following various types of material such as: wool, cotton, taffeta and silk. Wool is very enduring; cotton is more comfortable; taffeta and silk are more expensive, but very durable. The lower or working class, used wool for more of their clothing, but they also used calico. The upper class used cotton, taffeta, and silk, but occasionally used wool. Trimmings on a dress cost a lot to put on a large dress; the more trimmings on a dress showed the higher a class the women represented. The women had to reuse the trimmings on their dresses, because they became scarcer to find towards the end of the war.

The clothes a woman wore displayed her position in her class, and her occupations in life; reflected by her style of dress and her stature that she exhibits. The underpinnings of a dress showed whether a woman was upper or lower class by whether she could afford a hoop skirt. Not every woman in the lower class could afford to wear a hoop skirt, so this reflected her underpinnings. The style and design also showed which class a woman was in, by the cut and trimmings of the dress. Finally, the design of the dress' material showed the woman's stature, by the largeness and brightness of the material's design Even though all women attempt to look their best the class differences always showed through by what they wore.