The Costumer's Manifesto is written by Tara Maginnis, and proudly hosted by William Baker.

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18th Century Pockets, Bags and Muffs
 "Lucy Locket lost her pocket
Lydia Fisher found it,
Not a bit of money in it
Only 'broidery round it."

Nursery Rhyme

Bags and purses were not very popular during the 18th Century since the clothes of both men and women had ample pockets. The distinctive feature about women’s pockets in the 18th Century is that they were not sewn into the garment but hung from the waist under the side hoops and were reached through small slits in the skirt.

Some examples of bags and purses from Diderot:
Google
 

 

Costume Close Up : Clothing Construction and Pattern, 1750-1790

Historic Colonial French Dress : A Guide to Re-Creating North American French Clothing

Patterns for Costume Accessories The Solution to Almost Any Costume Accessory Need Books Arnold S. Levine,Robin Costume in Detail : 1730-1930 Patterns of Fashion 1: Englishwoman's Dresses and Their Construction: c.1660-1860 The Gentleman's Daughter : Women's Lives in Georgian England

 
Small items could also be secreted in muffs which were used by the fashion conscious members of both sexes for most of the century. Muffs were of various sizes, and always made of fur.

A shop for fur muffs (click for larger image)

A fop from Hogarth wears French Fashions, including a muff, making him a joke among the English

A mid-century Beaver hat, short cloak and fur muff

 

The Costumer's Manifesto is proudly hosted by William Baker.

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This Page is part of The Costumer's Manifesto by Tara Maginnis, Ph.D.  Copyright 1996-2010.   You may print out any of these pages for non-profit educational use such as school papers, teacher handouts, or wall displays.  You may link to any page in my site.