Family Costume Party – Winter 1901

A family costume party is the theme for this illustration in the February, 1901 edition of La Mode Illustrée. Although they represent a family of the early twentieth-century, the man, his wife, their four children, and another woman are dressed in various eighteenth or nineteenth-century costumes. The woman on the left wears a long pale green dress with an empire waistline; the hem of her dress has a scalloped edge and is embroidered with scrolls.

The bodice has a white lace yoke and over this she wears a short forest green velvet Spencer jacket with puffed sleeves, a tall standing collar, and large gold buttons. She wears a pale green poke bonnet, trimmed and tied with green ribbon, long tan fingerless mitts, and black strapped slippers over white stockings. Next to her a young woman sits at the piano and plays for the family, wearing a gown from the Colonial period.

She wears a yellow underskirt with a dress of white floral patterned material in the Watteau style. The neckline of the bodice and the sleeves are trimmed with white ruffles. The Watteau style back pleating is just visible in the profile view. She wears a white ruffled mob cap. At the center of the panel and standing next to the piano is the older daughter who wears a fantasy costume as a daisy. Her long green dress has a neckline trimmed with small white daisies.

On each shoulder is an epaulet of one large daisy. The long green sleeves of her dress are split to reveal gold inner sleeves, each with a single daisy fastening the center of the opening. Yellow fluffy poufs that mimic the center pistil of a daisy line the empire waistline, with a long white petals dangling from each to form a tunic length overdress. With one arm she has swept up the long outer layer of her dress which is trimmed with a band of large daisies around the hem. For a hat she wears another large daisy with petals that hang down over her long brown hair.

Standing in the background is the father who wears Colonial period blue knee breeches over red and white striped stockings and tall black boots. He wears a matching waistcoat of red and white stripes, the lapels of which spread broadly over the lapels of his gray cutaway tailcoat. The tailcoat is double-breasted with large buttons and has a tall, stiff collar. Beneath this he wears a white shirt with ruffled cuffs and a white cravat. He wears a white wig and gloves, and he carries a gray top hat and cane. On the right is the oldest son who waits his turn as he watches his younger siblings dance.

Dressed in a central European military costume from the nineteenth century, the young man wears red trousers with gold braid down the sides, which are tucked into tall black leather boots. The tops of his boots have gold tassels. Over his trousers he wears a white, hip-length jacket trimmed with gold braid, and red velvet coat over the jacket, also trimmed with gold braid. The edges, cuffs, and broad collar of the red coat are trimmed with brown fur.

On his head is a matching tall cap of brown fur, the front of the cap with a jeweled medallion and tall white feather. White gloves complete his outfit. The two youngest children — a girl and a boy — dance in the center of the scene. The girl has blond curls and wears a pink and white dress with a wide bell skirt. The white bodice of her dress is pleated and the large, puffed leg-o-mutton sleeves end in tight cuffs at the wrists.

The neckline has a white ruff and a pink ribbon fastened with a buckle. The drop-shoulders of the bodice are emphasized with a doubled pink flared over sleeves that form a wide v. The waist is cinched with a wide pink belt with a large buckle. Her skirt is in two tiers, with the top tier falling mid-way down the dress and is split down the center. The center front and hem are banded with wide pink pouffed ruched edges. The under skirt has a double tier of ruching. She wears white gloves, black strapped shoes over white stockings, and a large pink poke bonnet with a deep visor.

The bonnet is trimmed with large bows of pink ribbon. The youngest boy, dressed as a harlequin, holds his sister’s hand as he dances with her. His costume is snug-fitting and made of Harlequin diamond pattern in red, white, blue, and yellow. The neck and waistline are both trimmed with black ruffles. He wears white gloves, black shoes over white stockings, a bicorne hat, black mask, and carries a toy sword; he seems to have white make-up.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges