Brudeferden+by+hans+gude.jpg)
To see a slide show of Hans Gude paintings,
go here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36xdJKKjxbo
(please view all sites first, before showing young children)
To view more beautiful paintings of Hans Gude, go here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Hans_Gude_paintingsA biography of the life of Hans Gude can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Gude
Many, if not most, of these wonderful painters were sent scurrying into privacy by the trolls and critics of the time, who were bent on and getting rid of realistic painting.
I am certainly glad this artist resisted the attempt to change his style in compliance with the elitist view of the times.
These paintings from the 18th and 19th century are surfacing in auctions. I find it sad that, in many cases, they were not available to the public for a hundred years, so I want to be sure and show them on this blog.
Hans Gude (not to be confused with Hans Dahl, whose paintings I showed at the beginning of this painting-inspired-clothing series) "painted Norwegian scenery in a distinctive and truthful manner."
In our heat wave across the northern hemisphere, these paintings bring a cool feeling. I was particularly noticing the women in the paintings. Some were doing hard, outdoor work, but you could from a distance, still see that they were female.
16 comments:
Thank you for posting these lovely, cool mountain scenes.
I finished the hardest dress pattern of my life. I practically had to re-design the dress. From now on I"m sticking with Simplicity, Butterick, and McCalls. I also made a fun apron from that's basically a square with the point at top and bottom. It's cute and easy. I needed an easy project after the three week dress sewing and ripping marathon. It is lovely now that it's done. But I think it will take me awhile to out the thing on.
Wowwwww.... those are absolutely beautiful! I've never even heard of the painter, but it makes me want to book a flight to Norway right away.. *lol*
These low-cost airlines make everything possible nowadays, don't they? hehe ;)
Greetings from the netherlands!
I was just poking around the Simplicity pattern site, as Joanne's has their patterns on sale this weekend, and found a few I thought I would make mention of here:
6597;2590;3557;4220; and 5189 don't have zippers. I have made the last one for my mom, and it is VERY simple.
2917 and 3827 do have zippers.
4221 is 2 pieces and 2926 and 2996 are a little more involved.
I always look at the patterns on the site, and then write the numbers down before I go shopping, that way I can go straight to the pattern drawers and pull the ones I like, and then make my decision to buy it or not.
I can't find a way to comment on your daughter's blog-do you know where she found her peasant blouses? All of dresses are lovely-she inherited your creativeness!
The book I talked about in a previous post from the 70's is titled, "How To Design Your Own Clothes And Make Your Own Patterns" by Claudia Ein. 1975 Doubleday Publishers, NY, New York. ISBN# 0-385-07434-4
Lady Lydia,
I just bought a Simplicity pattern (5189) and it looks perfect! It is a princess seamed dress with no zip and back ties. I think it is going to be wonderful!!! I was so excited to find it. It wasn't on sale, but my husband still thought it was good to purchase it so that I can get started right away on my stash of fabrics! I am looking forward to getting rid of my stash so I can buy prettier fabric! They had some VERY nice fabric on the discount table at my local Wal-Mart. The most expensive bolt I found was $2.50 a yard!
I just wanted to thank you for the motivation to sew some pretty dresses to wear around the house. I have been loving this series from the very beginning. Now that I have a nice pattern, I'm ready to begin!
Dear Lady Lydia,
thanks for these beautiful drawings. It's always so uplifting to see the paintings, you put on your blog, when I switch on the computer in the morning.
I also looked at your daughter's blog, "the pleasant times" and wanted to comment, but I think, it's not possible.
Could you please tell her, that I like her blog very much too, and that the dresses, she showed, are very beautiful indeed!
It's so nice to see, that others are also creative and share the same passions.
Have a wonderful day, and kind regards.
Are there any paintings that you know of that show women in very warm weather climates, like the American South, or Australia, or the Pacific islands, wearing dresses back in the olden days. As one reader commented, it might be difficult to wear long dresses and long sleeves in hot weather climates. The paintings shown are of European settings and it is cool over there most of the year, and their home are not well heated in the winter months, so you would not have to peel off layers of clothing when you came inside.
You can look up the date of the artist or the date of the painting, and then look up the temperature in that climate, which is sometimes recorded, to see how hot it was. Several Australian painters in the 1800's painted women in the summer, and they were fully dressed in the parks and cities, homes, etc. in the same Victorian type clothing. Light colors , such as white, cotton, were known to have a more cool effect when worn in hot weather. Photographs exist of women of the 1800's in the southern states of the USA which are known to get extremely hot in summer. These women also were wearing white clothing, but long skirts and blouses with sleeves. There are painters of South America in the 1800''s who painted women, also in the longer clothing, only white fabrics, and there are photographs available also at the online libraries. When people did wear their camisoles in extremely hot weather, they were not as public as people are today, and were more likely to stay home if they shed their clothing. They would get a sheet wet and put it over themselves and sleep under it. It would cool the body as it dried. They had other things that made them cool also.
Thanks for listing the patterns without zippers. Please also be sure that the suggested fabrics are woven, cottons. Many patterns that do not require zippers or buttons are designed for synthetics, which stretch easily and do not need zippers. If you attempt to sew cottons with these patterns, it will not be a good fit. Synthetics are made with oils and plastics, and can trap moisture and heat. Cottons absorb moisture and it dries quickly.
In summer, many northern climates are very very hot. I am in a northern climate, near the Canadian border and it has been 108 degrees F. There have always been hot summer days in northern climates.
I guess we're spoiled today. We peel off the clothing at the least rise in temperature!
Using common sense in the heat is the best way to beat it. People are trying to use the heat (or the cold) to excuse their dressing appropriately, but think about it: if it were not socially acceptable for you to remove your clothing and run around practically naked, what would you do?
Simple: STAY HYDRATED because it is how your body cools yourself off, wear light colored clothing because it reflects the sun's heat. Try it- on a hot afternoon, go outside wearing a pair of black shorts, stay outside, in the sun for 30 minutes. Then go inside and grab something lightweight that is white or extremely pale and go outside and sit for another 30 minutes. You will be cooler in the white. You will also try to stay out of the sun, either by staying indoors or by using some other cover. Women sat under trees and wore bonnets. We can do the same- buy a nice large straw sunhat at Wal-Mart. They also carried umbrellas or parasols, which can be done today as well.
As a plus-sized woman, dressing in white is not flattering, but I do try to choose lighter clothing for the summer months. My latest project is a darker cream color with purple flowers all over it. I think it will be quite cool for the rest of the summer.
In the remote northern regions of Western Australia in the 1800's, women and men wore long, white clothing in spite of *extreme* heat and red dust. They did this because the white clothes kept them cool.
My husband, who until fairly recently worked in the heat and the dust, also always wore long sleeved white shirts. He often got comments about the colour of his shirts and how hard it is to keep clean. Frankly, the shirts did not really get noticeably dirtier than any other colour and always washed beautifully. Cotton, of course). After all, that's what washing machines are for!
By the way I have not made a spelling error with 'colour', that's how we spell it in Australia.
Coming from Australia, where temperatures are hot for much of the year, i can assure readers dresses are cooler and far more comfortable than clinging shorts or pants. Wearing dresses made of natural wovens is essential (Silk, though natural, breathes poorly so isn't the best option for the heat) Layering with pettipants and a slip both in cotton helps ensure comfort; long, flowing skirts are the best; if, in the worst of the heat one chooses to forego pantihose, if one's skirt or dress is ankle length or just a few inches higher, it won't look porly; worn with practical yet nice sandals, comfort and neatness are both assured. Remember, in the heat, everyone's feeling it.
Both men and women in the Arabian countries wear long flowing robes and head protection. the Bedoin (both men and women), who have lived and worked in the desert for thousands of years also know the value of long, flowing garments and even face-coverings to keep out sand and dust (also worn by men and women). In South East Asia, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia etc, blouses and sarongs (bright and ankle length for ladies, shorter and more stayed for men) have been the clothing of choice for generations. Additionally, loose, flowing pantaloons and tunics have also been popular (and still are in Vietnam; lady's vietnamese dress is traditionally beautiful). I've owned and worn pantaloon and tunic sets in bright, cool cottons; let me be the first to recommend these, also I've worn the Malaysian tunic and long pleated skirt sets; also incredibly comfortable; remember, these styles have been developed and worn by people who live in tropical heat year in, year out.
One can't go past the sari of India; beautiful, elegant, practical, worn by women from all parts of the country from the poorest of the poor to the most wealthy society ladies; even the dress of the poorest is often beautiful and worn with dignity, even if it is the only garment one possesses.
Lydia, I am sure you'll be able to find countless examples of this attire that you can post on 'Living at home' to show that modesty, any weather, is possible and doable.
A somewhat-loose pretty white cotton dress, that covers delicate skin, is the most comfortable outfit to wear in the hot summer weather. I love that you've shown the lovely sleeved slip you made to go under the dress. (A sleeved slip would help me feel less bad about perspiring so much in such a pretty dress in the heat!)
I've noticed that in a less humanistic ("man is the measure of all things") age, paintings were created to show more of God's creation (the sky and landscape), and the people were not so huge and such a major focal point of the paintings. Also the people were painted realistically, as you said, rather than stylized and distorted, as so many modern "art" and commercial "art" depict people now.
Yet, as you said, even from the distant perspective of the paintings, it is obvious that the women are women. The artists you are showcasing have no need to focus in on parts of the women's anatomy, to let the viewer know there is a woman in the painting.
In these paintings the women seem so peaceful and seem to be enjoying the outdoors so unselfconsciously. Very lovely.
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