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Sarah A. Bendall

Material Culture, Dress and Fashion History

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YouTube Video VVVFSURLVWRwR2NDdlNEWUJwdUh1TzBnLjROR3dGVzZ6dVVB “OMG women wore stays during pregnancy?!” 🫨 Yes. Stays were a normal part of women’s dress by the 18th century that provided support and a basis for most clothing, and no, they didn’t restrict daily activities or life events like pregnancy! Women in the past weren’t dumb, they adjusted their clothing to their changing bodies. Finally putting my 1780s maternity stays that I made to the real test! 🤰🏻
“OMG women wore stays during pregnancy?!” 🫨 Yes. Stays were a normal part of women’s dress by the 18th century that provided support and a basis for most clothing, and no, they didn’t restrict daily activities or life events like pregnancy! Women in the past weren’t dumb, they adjusted their clothing to their changing bodies. Finally putting my 1780s maternity stays that I made to the real test! 🤰🏻
“OMG women wore corsets during pregnancy?!” Yes! And no, it’s not uncomfortable or dangerous!
Happy (belated) Halloweenl! 🎃👻 What did you dress up as this year?
Why did men need licences to exempt them from taking off their hats? Well its all to do with the 'language' of hats in the 16th century! Keep watching to find out more. For sources my blog post: https://sarahabendall.com/2022/03/01/hats-headwear-masculinity-sixteenth-century-europe/ Image credits: Coming soon! Dr Sarah Bendall www.sarahabendall.com https://www.instagram.com/sarahbendall_dresshistory/ https://twitter.com/sarahabendall
Renaissance Hats: Masculinity and Hat Etiquette in Sixteenth-Century Europe
Think the wedding garter toss is a tacky new tradition? Think again. Tossing the bride’s garters is actually a European tradition that dates back several hundred years. Keep watching to find out more! 00:00 - Introduction 00:52 - What is a Garter? 01:23 - The Bedding Ceremony 02:10 - Tossing garters and stockings in the 17th century 02:54 - Evidence from the 18th century 03:45 - Garters as Love Tokens 04:37 - Sexual Symbolism of garter tossing 06:44 - Tacky or traditional? For sources and images, see my blog: coming soon! Dr Sarah Bendall www.sarahabendall.com https://www.instagram.com/sarahbendall_dresshistory/ https://twitter.com/sarahabendall
The Wedding Garter Toss: A Quick History
Why did a Spanish princess, Maria Theresa, cause a scandal at the French court in 1660 when she married the French King Louis XIV? Well it all started with a rumour that began two hundred years earlier and connected farthingales (hoops skirts) with illegitimate pregnancy... 00:00 - Introduction 01:02 - The Franco-Spanish Marriage 04:32 - Scandalous Origins 07:08 - 16th and 17th century Stereotypes 10:16 - Gender stereotypes and fears: having access to women's bodies 15:44 - History of the guardainfante in Spain 17:55 - The guardainfante: a symbol of Spain? 19:46 - Returning to the Franco-Spanish Marriage For a more extensive overview of this topic, read my book! https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/shaping-femininity-9781350164123/ For sources and images, see my blog: https://sarahabendall.com/2024/04/07/the-most-scandalous-garment-in-history-a-history-of-the-farthingale-and-guardainfante/ ** Correction: The image I provided at 6.28 was for Juana of Castile (b. 1479), not Joana of Portugal, Queen of Castile (b. 1439 - d. 1475). Joana is the queen I was actually talking about. Apologies for this mistake! Dr Sarah Bendall www.sarahabendall.com https://www.instagram.com/sarahbendall_dresshistory/ https://twitter.com/sarahabendall Sources: Bendall, Sarah A. Shaping Femininity : Foundation Garments, the Body and Women in Early Modern England. London ; Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2021. Wunder, Amanda. “Women’s Fashions and Politics in Seventeenth-Century Spain: The Rise and Fall of the Guardainfante.” Renaissance Quarterly 68, no. 1 (2015): 133–186. Zanger, Abby E. Scenes from the Marriage of Louis XIV : Nuptial Fictions and the Making of Absolutist Power. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1997. Video Image Credits: Island of Pheasants Meeting: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Traite-Pyrenees.jpg Marie Therese: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oil_on_canvas_portrait_of_Marie_Th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se_of_Austria_(1638-1683)wearing_the_fleur-de-lis_robes_as_Queen_of_France.jpg Maria Theresa of Spain: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Infanta_Maria_Theresa_of_Spain#/media/File:Diego_Vel%C3%A1zquez_030.jpg Mariana of Austria: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mariana_of_Austria_by_Vel%C3%A1zquez(c.1652,_Museo_del_Prado).jpg blue farthingale here Louis XIV: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XIV#/media/File:Louis_XIV_of_France.jpg The Gentlewoman’s Companion: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/v3fudf8u/images?id=gstr4zu5 French Woman, 1558: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/BI-1933-996-9 The Vanity of Women: Masks and Bustles: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/82615 Joanna of Castile: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_of_Castile#/media/File:Johanna_I_van_Castili%C3%AB.JPG The Duchess of Malfi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Duchess_of_Malfi#/media/File:Duchess_of_Malfi_title_page.jpg 11.28 up to The Contented Cuckold: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_contented_cuckold_in_the_new_fashion_LCCN2002719528.jpg Mocking Image of a Cuckold: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spottbild_Hahnrei.jpg Kissing: https://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/detail/FOLGERCM1~6~6~702526~149064:-Royal%2C-military-and-court-costumes%3Fsort%3DMPSORTORDER1%252CCall_Number%252CCD_Title%252CImprint?qvq=q:Call_Number%3D”ART%20Vol.%20c91”%20;sort:MPSORTORDER1%2CCall_Number%2CCD_Title%2CImprint;lc:FOLGERCM1~6~6&mi=30&trs=37 Taste a la Mode: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Taste_A-la-Mode%2C_1745_%28BM_Y%2C5.42%29.jpg Las Meninas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Meninas#/media/File:Las_Meninas,by_Diego_Vel%C3%A1zquez,_from_Prado_in_Google_Earth.jpg Philip IV of Spain: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_IV_of_Spain#/media/File:Philip_IV_of_Spain–Vel%C3%A1zquez_1644.jpg Mexican Woman and an enslaved woman: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cuadro_Esclavitud_Nueva_Espa%C3%B1a.JPG Catherine of Braganza: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Catherine_of_Braganza.jpg Catherine of Braganza leaving Portugal: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Catherine_of_Braganza–Lely_1663-65.jpg Marie Thérèse of Austria, Queen of France: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beaubrun,_Charles_and_Henri–Marie_Th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se_of_Austria,_Queen_of_France-_Versailles_MV_3501.jpg
The most Scandalous garment in history? A History of the Farthingale and Guardainfante
At this time every year lingerie sales increase in the lead up to Valentine’s Day. But did you know that gifting intimate apparel is not a modern phenomenon? In 17th and 18th-century England and France, intimate objects were also gifted during courtship or amorous liaisons, as tokens of both romantic intention and sexual desire. In this video, I give an overview of the history of courtship gifts and love tokens, from jewelry and gloves to more intimate gifts like busks and garters. This includes gifts given on Valentine’s Day in early modern Europe, as well as other traditions like Valentine's lotteries, to explore to history of this holiday beyond cards, flowers and chocolates. So if you'd like to learn more, keep watching! 0:00 - Introduction 1:00 - History of Valentine's Day 3:26 - Courtship Rituals and Gift Giving 5:55 - Courtship Gifts and Love Tokens 8:21 - Busks 9:53 - Garters 11:06 - Sexy Love tokens? 13:45 - Valentine's Gift Giving and Valentine's lotteries 15:26 - Valentine's Day cards and Modern Gifting Rituals Sources: - Bendall, Sarah A. Shaping Femininity : Foundation Garments, the Body and Women in Early Modern England. London ; Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2021. - Forbes, Bruce David. America’s Favorite Holidays : Candid Histories. Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2015. - Holloway, Sally. “Love, Custom & Consumption: Valentine’s Day in England c. 1660-1830.” Cultural and social history 17, no. 3 (2020): 295–314. - Holloway, Sally. The Game of Love in Georgian England : Courtship, Emotions, and Material Culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. - Rosin, Nancy. Unpacking a Box of Love. Metropolitan Museum of Art, blog. - February 13, 2018. https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/collection-insights/2018/box-filled-with-love-historic-valentines - The Diary of Samuel Pepys: https://www.pepysdiary.com/ ------- Dr Sarah Bendall www.sarahabendall.com https://www.instagram.com/sarahbendall_dresshistory/ https://twitter.com/sarahabendall
History of Valentine’s Day & Courtship Gift Giving: From Love Tokens to Sexy Lingerie
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Because it’s Valentines Day - the garter toss, a tradition with its roots in the 17th century!! Can’t believe it’s been 10 years since I did this tintype photoshoot with @eloisemaree and Sophie Caligari in my recreated 1910s corset and combinations. 2025, what a year! I had a lot going on personally this year - I moved (twice!), changed campuses and became a mum! Throw back to last year when I had the chance to glide through the gardens at Hampton Court Palace like a woman at the Court of Mary II in my 1690s mantua with @rebeccae_m @curatorpolly 18th century maternity stays @ 35 weeks.