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- Welcome to Fashion through History
brought to you by English Heritage.
I am Dr. Serena Dyer, and I am a fashion historian.
And today I'm here at Osborne
on the beautiful Isle of Wight.
Osborne was Victoria's seaside residence
and Queen Victoria was Queen of England
from 1837 until 1901.
You might be familiar with her mourning fashions
which really defined her reign
but her interest in fashion was much wider than that.
We'll also be talking to English Heritage curator,
Samantha Stone, who will tell us some more
about this incredible property
while we look at some of the most iconic looks
from Victoria's reign.
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This was a really fashionable gown in the 1830s
when Queen Victoria came to the throne.
It's a really dramatic style
with the massive sleeves and the bell skirt
and it would've been set off with a huge bonnet.
But before we go into more detail,
maybe you can tell us how Victoria came to the throne.
- Of course.
Victoria knew from quite a young age
that she was likely to become queen
as none of her uncles had had a legitimate heir.
She became queen at the age of 18,
but she was of course a single woman at that point.
That wasn't going to last for long.
Victoria and Albert had met in 1836
and they met again for the second time in October, 1839.
Five days later, Victoria proposed
and within four months, they were married.
- So how did the public perceive the wedding?
- The wedding was certainly a national event
of great importance and interest
and news was spread across the world.
- And of course, the dress was centered stage
and Queen Victoria even gave us an account of it
in her journal, and she describes it as a white satin gown
with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old.
And the dress really, I think, captures the essence
of this change in fashion that we're seeing
between the dramatic proportions of the 1830s
to the softer silhouettes of the 1840s
that really mimic Victoria's own interest
in domestic family life.
So we see the shoulders sloping down
and we see these skirts which are supported
by layers and layers of petticoats,
including one which is corded
and which is heavily starched to get that shape.
Can you tell us a little bit more
about the general public's attitude towards Queen Victoria?
- Victoria was something of a breath of fresh air.
Firstly, she was a young woman,
the monarchs before her, her uncles,
were older of course, and were infamous
for their affairs and illegitimate children.
Victoria used photography via the press
to manage her image.
To the people she was the queen, but she was also presented
as a good mother and wife
and someone who was very hard working
and understood the interests and emotions of her people.
In some ways, this made her very relatable
to the middle class.
- And speaking of relatable, practical fashion,
our next look really embodies that.
Emma Jane is going to be wearing a cotton organdy dress
which was the height of fashion in the 1850s.
She's already wearing her chemise, her corset
and her crinoline.
And the crinoline is the key difference from the 1830s dress
because instead of all of those layers
of starched petticoats,
we now have this amazing innovation of the cage.
So this would've made it far easier
for Victoria to move around and enjoy the grounds
here at Osborne.
She'd be able to go for picnics,
she'd be able to go to the beach, and it'd be very comfy.
Let's get you dressed in the rest of the outfit.
So the first thing to put on is the petticoat.
So this is going to go over your head.
So instead of those layers of petticoats
that we saw with the 1830s version,
we just have a single lightweight cotton petticoat.
And what that does is it just smooths out
the lines of the crinoline
so you get a nice soft bell shape.
And then of course we have the dress.
So this is a very simple one piece dress
and you can put it on over your head, dive into it.
Queen Victoria would have had maids to help her get dressed.
Of course, you just have Sam and I,
but you could feasibly get dressed
in something like this by yourself.
It is a very practical, everyday dress
for the kinds of activities
that Victoria would've been doing
here at Osborne.
It very simply just hooks up the front.
- And there you go.
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- How does the fabric feel?
- It's a little stiffer than the cotton I'm used to
but it's lightweight like a normal summer dress.
- But of course, we mustn't forget your shoes.
These are very practical leather boots
that would have been perfect for the kinds of activities
that Victoria was getting up to here at Osborne.
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- The final touch for your outfit is the bonnet.
This will keep you nicely protected
from the bright sun today.
Here we go.
So now you're all ready to explore the rest of the grounds
here at Osborne.
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I understand that Osborne was a real retreat
for Victoria and her family.
So why did she enjoy coming here so much?
- Osborne was designed by the royal couple
to be a private comfortable home for them and their family.
In reality, they could never escape court life
and the business of state
but it was the closest thing they had
to a relaxing family home.
They enjoyed the estate while they were here
particularly playing in the gardens and down on the beach.
The children would even cook dinner for their parents
in the miniature kitchen in the purpose-built Swiss cottage.
- And Victoria took a real interest
in her children's clothing as well as her own, didn't she?
- Yes, and Prince Bertie became an unwitting trend setter
as a result.
Victoria dressed him in a sailor suit
for his father's birthday.
And it was such a success
that the family commissioned a portrait
and also purchased similar outfits
for the rest of the royal children.
The sailor suit has actually become something
of an iconic royal trend.
And we saw this
in Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee recently
when her great-grandson, Prince Louis
wore a very similar outfit to that worn by Bertie.
- [Serena] It was a shame that that really happy family time
had to come to an end.
- Yes, that's right.
In March of 1861, Queen Victoria's mother sadly died
and then tragically Albert also died
in December of the same year.
This started an intense period of mourning
for Queen Victoria
that, in some ways, lasted for the rest of her life.
- And our next look is going to reflect
that really sad mournful period in Victoria's life.
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Queen Victoria wore black for the rest of her life
and this really connects to the stages of mourning
which were popularized during the 19th century.
So first mourning, which is what Queen Victoria wears
is when you wear deep, dull, black colors
sometimes adorned with some beading
which is what we often see on Victoria's dresses.
This would be followed by half mourning
which was usually grays and lilacs,
and the time period of that
could depend upon the particular individual.
What we see here is a dress from that time period,
and we can really see how a single color dress
can be made interesting
and brought to life through different textures,
through different treatments of the fabric and the trims.
So here we see the shimmer of the taffeta
next to the luster of the velvet
and then of course those deep black jet buttons
which became so popular for 19th century mourning.
And then at the hem,
we have this pleated trim and the ruching down the front.
And then of course we have the bustle
which is the iconic feature of late 19th century fashion.
But how did the public perceive Victoria
during this part of her life?
- The grief of losing Prince Albert
meant that Queen Victoria was not seen in public
for many years.
In 1866, Queen Victoria
made her first noteworthy public appearance
at the state opening of parliament.
But by this time, Princess Alexandra, her daughter-in-law
had actually become a figure of fashion herself,
taking inspiration from trends in Paris.
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- Queen Victoria may not have been
an avant-garde leader of fashion,
but she really showed how clothing
could be used to craft a public image.
From her wedding dress to her mourning period,
she really used clothing to reach the hearts
and minds of her people.
So if you'd like to learn more
about Queen Victoria and family life here at Osborne,
then please go to the English Heritage website.
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