The Real Victorian

Free Printable Fashion History Illustration: Edwardian Lady Travelers in Brown and Purple, 1904

Labels: 1900-1909 fashion, Belle Époque, Edwardian fashion, Edwardian ladies, Fashion history, French fashion, La Mode Illustreé, Parisian style, Travel fashion, Vintage travel illustrations

At one time or another we are all called to leave the safety of our homes,
the certainty of what we know, the illusions of who we are.
Not everyone will heed this call, of course.
And those who do will risk losing themselves completely.
But if we choose to ignore the invitation,
we risk never knowing who we might have become.
We risk dying without knowing what it is to live.
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen
A vintage illustration from 1904 showing two Edwardian lady travelers dressed for a winter journey.The lady on the left is in a brown suit, with a matching brown bow in her hat while the lady on the right is wearing a heavy tan jacket over a purple dress, and is holding a muff to keep her hands warm (and perhaps to conceal a weapon). Both ladies look pretty serious - they seem like they are embarking on a quest?

This illustration was found in my personal collection of La Mode Illustrée. You can download the free ready-to-print 6" x 9" @ 300 ppi JPEG without any watermark for crafts, collage graphic design projects by clicking here.

All digitized work by Victorian Trends.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Free for personal use only. Please link back to VictorianTrends.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Victorian Childhood Games: Cat's Cradle

Labels: History of games, Social history, Victorian children and teens, Victorian games, Victorian household, Victorian pastimes, Vintage games

This illustration and the accompanying description of a popular Victorian childhood game of Cat's Cradle was taken from an 1875 issue of Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine.

I know this doesn't really have any relevance to the game but a phrase in the article (which I highlighted above) jumped out at me as I was reading it: "Shades of Verstegan - living soul of Richard Grant White, come to our rescue!" I find the sentence rather intriguing - I don't think I've ever read or heard anyone use that phrase before. Isn't it marvelously Victorian? I'm still hazy as to what it actually means! If anyone could shed some light on that turn of phrase? I would be delighted if you do.

Quick links to characters named:
[1] Verstegan
[2] Richard Grant White

For those who have not actually played Cat's Cradle before and would be interested in the steps, here is an easy-to-follow Youtube video from MomsMinivan:

Free Printable Fashion History Illustration: Victorian Ladies in Winter Coats 1 (1886)

Labels: 1880s fashion, Belle Époque, Fashion history, French fashion, La Mode Illustreé, Parisian style, Victorian fashion, Victorian ladies

For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others;
for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness;
and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.
— Audrey Hepburn
Antique illustration of two Victorian ladies in fur-trimmed winter coats out for a walk. From my personal collection of La Mode Illustrée.

You can download the free high-res 8" x 10" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark for cardmaking, mixed media collage or junk journal projects here.

Free Printable Fashion History Illustration: Victorian Lady in Floral Frame 1 (1886)

Labels: 1880s fashion, Belle Époque, Fashion history, Frames and portraits, French fashion, La Mode Illustreé, Parisian style, Victorian fashion, Victorian ladies

Words can sometimes, in moments of grace, attain the quality of deeds.
― Elie Wiesel
Antique illustration of a Victorian lady with fur-trimmed bodice carrying an ostrich plume fan, enclosed within a floral frame, with a background of old vintage paper. From my personal collection of La Mode Illustrée.

You can download the free high-res 8" x 10" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark for mixed media collage or junk journal projects here.