Why Did So Many Edwardian Women Dress Like Queen Alexandra?

Why Did So Many Edwardian Women Dress Like Queen Alexandra?

Today I want to talk about the fascinating world of Edwardian fashion and I want to talk about the influence that Queen Alexandra had.

When Queen Victoria died in 1901, her son became King Edward VII, and Britain entered what we now call the Edwardian era. His wife was Queen Alexandra and she quickly became one of the most admired women in Britain. Alexandra was elegant, graceful, and incredibly fashionable. Women across the country wanted to copy her style.

Fashion in the Edwardian period changed from the darker styles of the later Victorian years. Wealthy people went to lots of events like garden parties, races and dinners. What you wore to these events became a way of showing your status.

Queen Alexandra had a massive influence of Edwardian fashion. She was well known for her fashion choices. She wore high lace collars, fitted bodices, long skirts, delicate gloves and pearls. She also added amazing hats that were decorated with feathers, flowers, and ribbons. Many women wanted to dress just like her. 

One of the most recognisable features of Edwardian fashion was the famous S-bend silhouette. This shape was created by a specially designed corset that pushed the chest forward and the hips back. It created what was often called the “pigeon breast” look, which was considered highly fashionable at the time.

Can you imagine just how uncomfortable it was. Getting dressed was not quick or easy either. An Edwardian woman usually started with a chemise and then her drawers, followed by the corset, petticoats, blouse, skirt, and sometimes a fitted jacket. Then they had to put on stockings, boots, gloves, jewellery, and of course to finish off, a hat. 

For wealthy women, servants usually helped them to dress, they helped to lace corsets, and with arranging hair. Working-class women still tried to follow the fashion when they could, but obviously practicality was more important. They needed to be able to move for work, housework, and childcare. They may well have admired royal fashion from afar but knew that such luxury was beyond their reach.

Fashion was not just about personal taste. What you wore could strongly influence how society judged you, your respectability, and even your character. Wearing the right clothes could help you to fit in. 

But clothing could be restrictive, but it could also be expressive. The S-bend corset was designed differently from the Victorian hourglass corset. It pushed the chest forward and the hips back to create the fashionable silhouette. While it was often said that tight corsets caused women to faint or permanently damaged their internal organs, modern historians believe these stories were sometimes exaggerated. But, very tightly laced corsets could make deep breathing difficult, restrict movement, and become uncomfortable. Doctors at the time actually debated their health effects, some warned that prolonged tight lacing could affect posture, digestion, and even displace internal organs. Compared with many late Victorian corsets, the Edwardian S-bend style placed more strain on the lower back because it forced the body into an unnatural forward-leaning posture. Looser clothing gradually became much more popular, and by the start of the First World War the S-bend silhouette was already starting to disappear.

So let me ask you this… if you had to wear full Edwardian clothing for just one day, do you think you would enjoy the elegance, or would you be desperate to take that corset off?

Jellicoe Scoon: A Caribbean Fighter Pilot in World War Two

Jellicoe Scoon: A Caribbean Fighter Pilot in World War Two

Today I want to tell you about a remarkable man called Jellicoe Scoon. He was one of the few Caribbean fighter pilots to serve in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

Jellicoe Esselmonte Norbert Cecil Scoon was born on the 14th of November 1920 in Grenada. He grew up under British colonial rule. At the time opportunities for Black men in military aviation were extremely limited. Before the war, the RAF had operated a “colour bar,” which made it much harder for Black volunteers from the colonies to enlist.

When Britain went to war with Germany in 1939, the need for men was urgent. The RAF officially lifted the colour bar in October 1939, although discrimination sadly did not disappear overnight. Even after the rule changed, many Black volunteers still faced obstacles and prejudice when they tried to join.

Like thousands of other Caribbean men, Scoon stepped in to fight against Germany. Around 6,000 Black Caribbean men volunteered for the RAF. Most served as ground crew, but a small number became aircrew. That makes Scoon’s achievement even more significant.

Scoon began his aviation training in Trinidad, and in early 1942 he travelled to Britain as part of a group of West Indian recruits.

He trained as a fighter pilot and went on to fly the legendary Supermarine Spitfire with No. 41 Squadron RAF. Later, he flew the powerful Hawker Typhoon with No. 198 Squadron RAF, an aircraft heavily used in dangerous ground-attack missions.

Scoon became known for his flying style and he earned the nickname “Midnight.” He had a reputation for flying extremely low. His adventurous nature made him memorable, though it also brought him attention from his superiors.

During training Scoon crashed and was injured. It could have ended his flying career, but he persevered. Despite the dangers of war and the challenges he faced, he continued serving and, in March 1945, he was commissioned as a Flying Officer, a major achievement for a Black Caribbean serviceman at that time.

After the war, Scoon settled in Bedford, where he died on the 9th of November 1994, just days before his 74th birthday.

Jellicoe Scoon helped prove that bravery and skill had nothing to do with race. His service also reminds us of the vital contribution made by Caribbean volunteers during the war, a contribution that deserves to be remembered.

Had you heard of Jellicoe Scoon before today?

 

What Did a Tudor Wedding Really Look Like From Start to Finish?

What Did a Tudor Wedding Really Look Like From Start to Finish?

Today I want to take a look at what a Tudor wedding actually looked like.

In Tudor England, marriage was considered one of the most important events in a person’s life. For many families, especially wealthier ones, choosing a husband or wife was not always left entirely to the couple. Parents usually had a lot of influence. They would often have to consider their social standing, property, business ties, and reputation. Many families used marriage as a way of making allies or improving status. A young couple must have had very mixed emotions. Tudor women, often had even less choice. Their fathers or male guardians often had a strong influence over who they married and when.

Before the wedding itself, there was usually a formal agreement or understanding between the families. In wealthier households, discussions about dowries, land, inheritance, and financial arrangements could be just as important as the match itself. Among ordinary people, marriage meant building a household together, and both families wanted to know if the couple could survive.

Once the marriage was agreed, the banns were read aloud in church on three separate Sundays. The reason for reading the banns was to give people the opportunity to raise any objections to the marriage. Reasons could be that there was already a promise of marriage to someone else or if there were concerns about the legality of the marriage. Being betrothed to someone was taken very seriously. If a person had already been promised to someone else, this could actually stop a wedding. They usually could not legally marry someone else unless the earlier promise had ended or it was declared to be invalid by the church according to Canon Law.

On the wedding day, the bride and groom would usually dress in their best clothing rather than a white wedding dress, as white did not become the standard until much later. Bright colours, rich fabrics, embroidery, and fine accessories were all popular if people could afford them. Wealthy brides might wear velvet, silk, or satin, while poorer brides wore their finest everyday clothes, or Sunday best.

The service could last up to an hour, and involved readings, vows, and ceremony.

The ceremony usually took place at the church door before moving inside for the mass and blessing. This might seem unusual today, but the doorway symbolised the transition from single life into married life. The priest also asked for consent, because even in arranged matches, both bride and groom were expected to agree.  A ring was then given, usually placed on the bride’s finger as vows were spoken. Tudor wedding vows were more formal than many modern vows, they promised to stay together for life. A major difference was that brides were often expected to love, honour, and obey.

The majority of the service and vows were often in Latin, especially before the Reformation, the traditional language used by the Church. The consent was usually done in English so the couple could understand.

After the ceremony they celebrated. Weddings were community events with food, drink, music and dancing. Wealthy families could have grand feasts with lots of food like roasted meats, pies, sweet dishes, and musicians. Poorer families still celebrated as best they could, but it was a lot smaller often with simple food that was shared among their neighbours. The guests might sing, dance and offer blessings for fertility and prosperity.

During the era the age at which you could marry was very low. Girls could legally marry at 12, and boys at 14 under Church law. But most people did not actually marry that young. Regular women usually married in their late teens or early twenties. Men usually married when they were a little older, because they needed to be  able to afford to support a household.

Betrothals could actually happen at a very young age, especially among wealthy or noble families. Some children were actually promised while they were still  babies. It was used as a way to strengthen family alliances or protect wealth and land. Ordinary people tended to be betrothed when they were teenagers or much closer to marriage age.

Historical records show that Margaret Beaufort married at about 12 years old and gave birth to Henry VII at just 13. Records also show that Catherine of Aragon married Arthur, Prince of Wales in 1501 when they were both 15.

Do you think you would have enjoyed the pageantry of a Tudor wedding?

Emanuel Thomas: The RAF Pilot from Nigeria Who Served in World War Two

Emanuel Thomas: The RAF Pilot from Nigeria Who Served in World War Two

Today I am going to tell you about an incredible man, Emanuel Peter John Adeniyi Thomas.

Emanuel Thomas was born in 1914 in Lagos, Nigeria, to an influential family. He attended King’s College in Lagos and then worked for his father’s business and for the Nigerian Government’s Labour Department. His sister, Stella Thomas, became the first woman magistrate in West Africa.

During the war, Thomas decided to join the Royal Air Force after reading about the Battle of Britain. He was determined to serve, so he travelled to Britain to enlist. On the 17th of September 1942, he made history by becoming the first West African to qualify as a pilot and receive a commission in the RAF.

His achievement was hugely significant because it was at a time when opportunities for Black Africans in the military were extremely limited. Thomas continued to rise through the ranks, becoming a Flying Officer in 1943 and later a Flight Lieutenant in 1944. He also supported West African students that visited London.

Tragically, his life was cut short when he died in an air crash on the 12th of January 1945. He was only around 30 years old.

How Often Do You Think The Victorians Actually Bathed, and Were They Really Dirty?

How Often Do You Think The Victorians Actually Bathed, and Were They Really Dirty?

Today I want to look at something that might surprise you, and that is how often did Victorians actually bathe?

The answer depended heavily on your class, money, and where you lived, just like everything else in Victorian Britain.

For wealthy Victorians, bathing became more common as plumbing began to slowly improve during the 19th century. Dedicated indoor bathrooms only began appearing in some wealthy British homes from around the 1850s to 1870s, and by the 1880s and 1890s some upper- and middle-class families even had the early indoor flushing toilets. Some rich households had tin or porcelain bathtubs, filled with hot water brought by servants and then also emptied by them.

But, daily full-body baths were still unusual by modern standards.

Before indoor bathrooms became common, even wealthy Victorians usually washed in their bedrooms using a washstand which was a small piece of furniture that held a bowl and jug of water. Full baths were often taken in tubs that were placed near a fire.

For the working classes, bathing was much harder. Many homes had no bathroom, no indoor toilet, and no running hot water. Washing often meant using a bowl, jug, and flannel to clean the face, hands, neck, and underarms rather than taking a full bath.

A proper bath was a big effort. Water had to be carried, heated on a stove or over a fire, and then poured into a tin tub placed in the kitchen or near the hearth. Because of the time, effort, and cost involved, many working-class families only had a full bath once a week, often on a Saturday night before Sunday church. And yes, families sometimes shared bath water, with the cleanest or youngest often going first and the dirtiest last.

Public bathhouses also became more common in Victorian Britain, especially after the Public Baths and Wash-houses Act of 1846 which encouraged towns to build them. These gave people without the facilities at home the chance to bathe and wash their clothes for a small fee.

When you think about the effort involved just to get clean, modern bathrooms suddenly feel like a real luxury.

Do you think you could cope with bathing the Victorian way?

Johnny Smythe: The RAF Officer from Sierra Leone Who Fought in World War Two.

Johnny Smythe: The RAF Officer from Sierra Leone Who Fought in World War Two.

Today I want to tell you about Johnny Smythe.

John Henry Clavell Smythe was born in 1915 in Freetown, Sierra Leone, which was then part of the British Empire. He was Sierra Leonean by nationality, but during the Second World War he fought for Britain as part of the Royal Air Force. Before the war, he went to Sierra Leone Grammar School and worked as a clerk.

When the Second World War started in 1939, Smythe joined a local defence force and then became one of the very few West Africans to serve as an officer in the RAF. In 1943, he was commissioned into the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and became a navigation officer with 623 Squadron. He flew dangerous bombing missions over occupied Europe in the Short Stirling bomber.

On the 18th of November 1943, during only his fifth operation, his aircraft was shot down over Germany. He was wounded, captured, and then spent around 18 months as a prisoner of war in Stalag Luft I. 

After the war, Smythe continued serving Britain and played a part in the Empire Windrush in 1948 by helping former servicemen from the Caribbean. He was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1951. He also later received honours including the Order of St Lazarus and the Member of the Republic of Sierra Leone.

After leaving the RAF as a Flight Lieutenant, he retrained as a barrister. He returned to Sierra Leone and became a Queen’s Counsel, eventually serving as Attorney General of Sierra Leone.

Johnny Smythe died in 1996 in England at the age of 80 or 81.

A Surprising Tudor Fashion Trend That Was Both Stylish And Practical.

A Surprising Tudor Fashion Trend That Was Both Stylish And Practical

Following on from my previous Tudor post, I wanted to take a closer look at another part of Tudor fashion, the detachable sleeves.

In Tudor England sleeves were often made separately from the main garment and tied or pinned on. They were not just a strange fashion choice. They were actually very practical.

Clothing was expensive in the Tudor era, especially clothes made from the more expensive fabrics like silk, velvet, or brocade. Most people could not afford many complete outfits, so detachable sleeves gave people a clever way to change their outfit without having to buy a whole new gown or doublet. Being able to easily swap the sleeves, an outfit could look completely different.

Sleeves were also one of the most decorative parts of Tudor clothing. They were often embellished and embroidered, made with contrasting fabric underneath, or decorated with ribbons, pearls, and jewels which show your status and wealth.

They were very practical as well. Sleeves got dirty easily and often wore out. So being able to remove and change them made them much easier to clean and repair and also made clothes last longer.

They were also sometimes given as gifts by the nobility. They could be decorated elaborately, so they were a way to give a meaningful gift that showed status without the expense of giving a complete garment.

 

Do you think detachable sleeves were a good idea?