Tag: unite

Those videos looking at 18th century English women’s clothing–and my continuing horror at the idea of regularly having to wear that many layers including stays to do any kind of work–reminded me of one period journal that just about choked me to death laughing when I ran across it several years ago.

It’s not just me imagining that pretty much all my folks were naked savages by certain standards, by that point.

Some excerpts: “It Will Require Much Time to Model the Manners and Morals of these Wild Peoples”: Charles Woodmason Visits the Carolina Backcountry, 1768

(As an Anglican missionary, dealing with people who were mostly not English and not at all interested in the still-official colonial Church of England.)

Here I found a vast Body of People assembled—Such a Medley! such a mixed Multitude of all Classes and Complexions I never saw…I was a Great Curiosity to them—And they were as great Oddities to me. After Service they went to Revelling Drinking Singing Dancing and Whoring—and most of the Company were drunk before I quitted the Spot—They were as rude in their Manners as the Common Savages, and hardly a degree removed from them. Their Dresses almost as loose and Naked as the Indians, and differing in Nothing save Complexion—I could not conceive from whence this vast Body could swarm—But this Country contains ten times the Number of Persons beyond my Apprehension.

Swarming aroud busily engaged in Revelling Drinking Singing Dancing and Whoring, while next to naked. Sounds like quite an experience for Charles!

Withal there is such a Republican Spirit still left, so much of the Old Leaven of Lord Shaftsbury and other the 1st principal Settlers still remains, that they seem not at all disposed to promote the Interest of the Church of England—Hence it is that above 30,000£ Sterling have lately been expended to bring over 5 or 6000 Ignorant, mean, worthless, beggarly Irish Presbyterians, the Scum of the Earth, and Refuse of Mankind, and this, solely to ballance the Emigrations of People from Virginia, who are all of the Established Church.

Tell us what you really think, Charles! (OK, I was intending to stick to the horrible nakedness. But that describes a decent chunk of the scum he was trying to convert. Also, the Virginia he mentions didn’t include the “frontier”. Filled with the exact same refuse of Mankind.)

Anyway, back to the horrible nakedness.

It would be (as I once observ’d before) a Great Novelty to a Londoner to see one of these Congregations—The Men with only I a thin Shirt and pair of Breeches or Trousers on—barelegged and barefooted—The Women bareheaded, barelegged and barefoot with only a thin Shift and under Petticoat—Yet I cannot break [them?] of this—for the heat of the Weather admits not of any [but] thin Cloathing—I can hardly bear the Weight of my Whig and Gown, during Service. The Young Women have a most uncommon Practise, which I cannot break them off. They draw their Shift as tight as possible to the Body, and pin it close, to shew the roundness of their Breasts, and slender Waists (for they are generally finely shaped) and draw their Petticoat close to their Hips to shew the fineness of their Limbs—so that they might as well be in Puri Naturalibus—Indeed Nakedness is not censurable or indecent here, and they expose themselves often quite Naked, without Ceremony—Rubbing themselves and their Hair with Bears Oil and tying it up behind in a Bunch like the Indians—being hardly one degree removed from them—In few Years, I hope to bring about a Reformation, as I already have done in several Parts of the Country.

That seems to have worked out for him about as well as one might expect.

And of course old Charles wasn’t looking at those fine limbs at all, as he sweltered in his proper wig and gown. Never mind the probable outrage at just how often that one degree of separation broke down. (With all the Revelling and Whoring! And not so sexualized nakedness going on, apparently! 😨)

I can only imagine that the man would have gone down almost as big a treat dealing with working Londoners up close.

But, definitely some pretty big differences in historical dress norms, depending on where and who you were.