BEAUTY’S COSTUME: 
 
 
 SERIES OF FEMALE FIGURES 
 
 / 
 
 IN THE 
 
 DRESSES OF ALL TIMES AND NATIONS. 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 ‘S’WHILWH IB'S 1 ‘S'SHi IFEIES^ £VIE®2B> ! ®So 
 
 EXECUTED UNDER THE SUPERINTENDENCE OF 
 
 MR. CHARLES HEATH. 
 
 WITH ORIGINAL DESCRIPTIONS, 
 
 BY 
 
 LEITCH RITCHIE, Esq. 
 
 AUTHOR OF “ HEATH’S PICTURESQUE ANNUAL,” &C. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 LONGMAN, ORME, BROWN, GREEN, AND 
 
 LONGMANS. 
 
J. HADDON, PRINTER, CASTLE STREET, FINSBURY 
 
3<n 
 
 "R-ff I •?- 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Page. 
 
 I. Ancient Egyptian Costume .... 5 
 
 II. An Ancient Scottish Costume .... 6 
 
 III. Turkish Costume ..... 7 
 
 IV. Costume of the Court of Louis XII. ... 8 
 
 Y. Bernese Costume • .... 9 
 
 VI. Milanese Costume . . . . . 10 
 
 VII. Russian Court Dress . . . . . 11 
 
 VIII. Costume of the English Peasantry* ... 12 
 
 IX. A Swiss Costume . . . . . 13 
 
 X. Costume of the Court of Charles VII. . . . 14 
 
 XI. Persian Costume ..... 15 
 
 XII. Scottish Highland Costume . . 16 
 
 

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 OF THE 
 
 UHWERS'.TY Or ILUHOtS 
 
 
 
 
N°. I. 
 
 
 ANCIENT EGYPTIAN COSTUME. 
 
 However numerous may be the varieties of female dress, 
 they all resolve into a few simple elements. The tunic was the 
 earliest garb of civilization, replacing the coverings made of 
 the skins of wild beasts ; and to this came to be superadded 
 first one form of mantle, and then another, with the oriental veil. 
 From these proceed the thousand shapes of Fashion ; including 
 even most of the additions demanded by climate, after the 
 human race had become enervated by the progress of luxury. 
 
 In this very curious print, the costume of which was faithfully 
 copied from the case of a mummy, we behold, it is supposed, 
 a daughter of one of the Pharaohs. The loose tunic, it will 
 be observed, is not clasped on both shoulders, in the manner 
 of the more modern Greeks, but hangs upon one shoulder, 
 leaving the opposite side of the bust exposed. This continues 
 to be the case in Hindostan at the present day; and it affords 
 a corroboratory proof of the connexion which is supposed by the 
 learned to have existed between the nations of India and the 
 ancient Egyptians. 
 
 The singular and gorgeous head-dress is peculiar to Egypt; 
 and yet is somewhat similar in effect to the short veil worn by 
 the Syrian women. The profusion of “ jewels of silver and 
 jewels of gold ” was fashionable so early as the Captivity, as 
 we read in the book of Exodus ; and the fondness of the 
 Israelites afterwards—described by Isaiah and Ezekiel—for this 
 species of ornament was in all probability acquired in the House 
 of Bondage. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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N°. II. 
 
 AN ANCIENT SCOTTISH COSTUME. 
 
 Had this not been copied from a good French authority, one 
 might suppose it to be a costume of our own day. The sleeve 
 of the pelisse, with its pendants, would pass muster any forenoon 
 in Regent Street; although it must be confessed that the 
 cincture becomes better the character of a loose dress than our 
 modern band. 
 
 The head-gear is in a form which was imitated by the lovely 
 Queen of Scots ; and which, in our simple opinion, sets off a 
 pretty face, and improves a plain one. It is probably of velvet, 
 since the wrought caps, or bonnets, were not introduced till the 
 time of Elizabeth. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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THfc LIBRARY 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 
 
 
N°. III. 
 
 TURKISH COSTUME. 
 
 We find the ancient tunic here converted into a Saday, or 
 vest, and the mantle into an open Kaftan. The latter garment, 
 if belonging to the ladies of the seraglio, was of wrought silk ; 
 and the vest, or apron, which sometimes concealed it, of silk, or 
 muslin, finely wrought in the Moorish manner. Under these 
 were worn, by all classes indiscriminately, drawers descending 
 to the ancle. They were of silk, or fine linen, in the seraglio, 
 although concealed by the vest, and their length rendered 
 stockings unnecessary in such a climate. The mantle had 
 usually false sleeves, although not in the instance before us; 
 and these hung down behind, or were tucked in beneath the 
 girdle. The sandals were of crimson velvet, raised on four 
 high pegs, and fastened to the feet by a band studded with 
 jewels. The turban was formed of a silk kerchief, adorned with 
 needle-work of different colours; and sometimes was surmounted 
 by a cap with a high crown, either of velvet, or gold or silver 
 stuff. 
 
 Thus was arrayed a lady of the seraglio in 1578, whose 
 portrait is preserved ; and but little change, it is to be presumed, 
 has taken place since. The fair Turks, like most other Eastern 
 women, are satisfied with the fashions of their ancestors; 
 although the fairer daughters of the west, in their endless 
 search after novelty, do not hesitate to borrow sometimes from 
 their unchanging stores. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
LONDON,VULVUSHEt) I'OK THE PROPRlliTOK.BY LONGMAN *■ C? l'ATEUNOSTF.K HOW 
 
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THE. LIBRARY 
 Of THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY Of ILUKOIS 
 
N°. IV. 
 
 COSTUME OF THE COURT OF LOUIS XII. 
 
 In this costume we have the large sleeves of the modern 
 cloak, lined with a different colour, and fastened on the shoulder 
 with an agraffe, in the manner of the tunic of the ancients. 
 The necklace, the bracelets, the jewel on the forehead, all belong 
 to our own time as well as to the sixteenth century. 
 
 The veil, fastened to the head-dress, and falling down behind, 
 is an adjunct to the effect of beauty which it is surprising our 
 country-women should not think of reviving in some shape or 
 other. In the fifteenth century, it streamed from the end of the 
 long conical cap then worn, with a “ high-fantastic” effect; and, 
 at the present day, it is used in the court-dress of St. Peters- 
 burgh with great advantage. 
 
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N°. V. 
 
 BERNESE COSTUME. 
 
 The Swiss costumes would require a volume to themselves ; 
 and, indeed, they have already received more than one. It is 
 curious that the peasants of this little federation, perched on 
 almost inaccessible mountains, should be the best dressed peas¬ 
 antry in Europe: but the fact is so. Each canton, and sometimes 
 each district in a canton, has its own peculiar costume : and 
 generally speaking, the natural taste this costume exhibits, is 
 not less striking than the pertinacity with which the people cling 
 to it. 
 
 Even this vast variety, however, becomes very simple, when 
 traced to its elements ; for in reality the whole of the distinctions 
 are but modifications of the head-dress and boddice. In the 
 specimen before us, the latter is richly ornamented, and well 
 relieved by the loose white sleeves of the under-dress. 
 

 
 
 
 
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N°. VI. 
 
 MILANESE COSTUME. 
 
 Th is costume calls for little observation ; although the tiara, 
 which, in one form or other, is common to different parts of 
 Europe, is sufficiently remarkable. The fine linen or cambric 
 garment, visible higher than the breast of the gown, was first 
 
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 displayed in this manner, when to wear such garments was a 
 distinction. Ladies were then proud of exhibiting an article of 
 dress which the ultra-refinement, or, in other words, the affect¬ 
 ation of the present day permits them to show, but makes them 
 coy of naming; and history records the extravagance of Isabella 
 of Bavaria in possessing, in fine linen , no fewer than two 
 —chemises ! 
 
 The ladies of Milan, it may be remarked, have lost their 
 identity in the crowd of their visitors. Milan is now a city, not 
 of Italy, but of Europe; and is the resort of the gay, the fair, 
 and the fashionable from all points of the compass. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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N°. VII. 
 
 RUSSIAN COURT DRESS. 
 
 This dignified and graceful costume, the national dress of 
 Russia, was introduced at court by the present empress. It. 
 consists of a chemise with white sleeves, and a sarafan, or robe 
 without sleeves. The head dress is a lofty crown, ornamented 
 with pearls and jewels, from which hangs a large transparent 
 veil, sometimes streaming behind, and sometimes, as in the 
 specimen before us, covering both shoulders. From the latter 
 circumstance we presume the lady to be a matron. 
 
 The peasant girls of Great Russia, as well as the court ladies, 
 wear the sarafan, finely relieved by the snowy sleeves of the 
 chemise ; but, by a strange perversity of taste, the girdle with 
 them (although their waist is not much too short) is above the 
 bosom. On holidays, they display over all a short silk mantle, 
 sometimes bordered with fur, or down; and for ear-rings, 
 instead of the large, imitative drops before us, they wear small 
 real pearls, strung in a triangular form. 
 

 
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 TKt UWMN 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 1LUHOIS 
 
 
 
 
N°. VIII. 
 
 COSTUME OF THE ENGLISH PEASANTRY. 
 
 Simplicity is the prevailing characteristic of the English 
 peasant girls’ dress. No striking contrasts are here observable 
 —no national peculiarities, unless it be the absence of all 
 peculiarity ; and yet there is a unity of expression about the 
 whole figure which preserves its individuality. The French 
 of the different provinces have their different and strongly 
 distinguished caps, the Swiss their caps and boddices, the Dutch 
 their plates of gold ornamenting the head like the trinkets of 
 savages, the Danes their gold-laced hats; every nation has its 
 own fashion, to which the people cling as to a religion, and 
 which separates them broadly from their neighbours. 
 
 But the English girl has no such distinctions. Sometimes 
 she is clothed in the manner we see before us; sometimes in a 
 gown not greatly different from that of her mistress. On her 
 shoulders there is a shawl, or kerchief; on her head a plain 
 lappeted cap, with a narrow frill;—but for all that, there is no 
 mistaking her for a moment. She is still discovered, at a single 
 glance, to be an English peasant girl; and, without any 
 exception, the handsomest peasant girl in Europe. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 
 
N°. IX. 
 
 A SWISS COSTUME. 
 
 This is another Swiss costume, wholly and strikingly different 
 from the former; although, on examination, we find that the 
 distinction is mainly caused by the one figure having a hat, 
 and the other a cap. This will serve as an illustration of 
 our remark in the fifth article. 
 
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 J.ONDON. PUBLISHED KOU THE PROPRIETOR, BY l.ONCMAN t C! 1'AI KHNOSTKK ROW 
 
 
IHt LIBMRY 
 OF IHt 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 
N°. X. 
 
 COSTUME OF THE COURT OF CHARLES VII. 
 
 This superb head-dress, bordered with fleurs-de-lys, is worthy 
 of the court of one of the most gallant of the French princes. 
 The figure, however, if the lady stood erect, would be too much 
 au naturel to please the taste of the present day. In this reign, 
 it was the fashion to exhibit clearly the proportions ; and, with 
 the same view, the modern riding-habit was invented, with skirts 
 as long, but not so full, as those of our century. The same 
 mode prevailed, to some extent, with the men ; and, in the 
 following reign, we find the chronicler, Monstrelet, complaining 
 that they “ wore dresses made so as to exhibit their form, after 
 the fashion in which people were wont to dress monkeys, which 
 was a very impudent and indecent thing.’" The men, however, 
 were always less poetical than the women. At this moment 
 our dress is the short Gothic garb, although no longer necessary 
 for military purposes ; while the flowing robes of the ladies are 
 modifications of the classical costumes of ancient Greece and 
 Italy. 
 

 
 
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N°. XI. 
 
 PERSIAN COSTUME. 
 
 The Persians are said to have imitated the Egyptians; but, 
 except perhaps in the veil or head-dress of this figure, in which 
 some slight analogy may be traced with that of the daughter 
 of Pharaoh, there is no similarity observable. The costume 
 before us, however, may be relied upon as correct, since it 
 was taken from an original portrait by a Persian artist. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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N°. XII. 
 
 SCOTTISH HIGHLAND COSTUME. 
 
 “ A chieftain’s daughter seem’d the maid !”— 
 
 but not— 
 
 “ Her satin snood, her silken plaid, 
 
 Her golden broach, such birth betray’d — 
 
 in the present instance, there is only the eagle’s feather in 
 tartan turban which can assert the damsel’s highland nobility.