Servants/Ladies Maid clothing England 1830-1840

Hi HRWriter. Welcome to a2k.

I found this - this would be 1852, from the book "Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour" by R.S. Surtees

I suggest you contact the Victoria Albert Museum in London. They have an excellent library on the history of dress. They have archives of prints, paintings and actual costumes from that period .

You might also want to check out this site:

Costumes of the 19th century

And this is Henry Robert Morland: Lady's Maid soaping linen. But that's 1770... so 60 years too early for your book. Still...nice painting.

And this book is set between 1844 and 1866... getting closer

Thank you all!
Many thanks to all for the great info! I was not sure I would receive any replies, so I am delighted with all this!
I keep finding info on what the Lady herself would wear, but nothing on what the maid would be wearing. I am detail person and it annoyed me that I could not find the info I was looking for.
Next step is to explore transportation between Memphis (TN) and Fort Smith near Little Rock.
My thanks again.
Cheers
Terry
(New Zealand)

Is your book set in Tennessee then? If it is set in America (I was looking mostly at England), see the Gone with the Wind (1939)- there is plenty of lady's maids there....

Dag, Gone With The Wind is about the American Civil War 1861-1864.

The period our poster is looking for is The Regency Era. William IV was England's king and fashion was still showing the influence of the Napoleon court. The Regency period preceded the Victorian Era. Men still wore wigs, but ladies had switched to bonnets and wide brimmed hats. Dresses had low cut bodices with dresses that flowed to the floor and were sometimes transparent with an under skirt, no tight corsets or crinolines.

Here is are some pictures:

Regency Dress

HR Writer, A ladies maid would have been an unusual thing for an American woman to have in rural TN at that time. TN was rough country in the early 19th century. Dag may have a point about the person being a slave or indentured servant, and not a ladies maid in the European sense of the word. Transportation was likely horse or wagon or stage coach.

HI again all,
So sorry for the confusion. I should have been more clear in what I was looking for. The lady in question has travelled to America from England, accompanied by her ladies maid and a chaperone. Therefore they would be wearing clothing from "home" in England.
Many thanks again, all this info is great!
I need to perfect my research skills lol
Cheers
Terry

Hmmm. Fanny Kemble Butler fits that description, and she may have had a maid, I can't remember.

Re: Thank you all!


Are you needing current transportation info, or historical?

In spite of the rise of the Cotton Mills, fabric was expensive and ready-made clothing was not generally.

The lady's maid could well have been wearing her mistress's hand-me-downs, reworked to remove unseemly ostentation.

Hi again,
I am looking for transportation in 1830-1840's. She would have travelled up the Mississippi via Steam boat as far as Memphis then would need to reach Fort Smith or other nearby Fort from Memphis. I have been looking for info on wagon trains and stage coaches but I cannot find anything definitive for this time and place. I keep finding references to the famous overland jouneys but I am not sure how relevant this would be to what I am wanting.
As you can tell I am in the early stages of research and still have a lot of "i"'s to dot and "t"'s to cross in that regard.
My thanks again.
Cheers
Terry

Especially if we are talking about a 'frontier' settler (allthough midway 19th century is a tad late for those, there are still regions in the US which aren't very civilized ... yet) But the more I think about it, the less likely it seems that she is/was travelling alone... I don't think that was considered seemly for ladies of (relative) high standing.

Remember, she has both a maid and a chaperone--and, I presume, a limited budget that wouldn't permit hiring a bodyguard.

Traveling with an older woman would protect her virtue.

I see most of these answers are from 2007, and your book may be finished but try the Fort Smith National Historic Site. That is their business, History that is and they would know about this especially the transportation and life in FS during this time period.