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Historical Sew Monthly 2019 - August - Out of a Portrait
Lift a garment out of a portrait, and make it up to include in your wardrobe.
The Dreamstress
Genevieve-Sophie le Coulteaux du Molay, 1788, by
Élizabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755 - 1842)
On display in the Great Drawing Room,
Musée Nissim de Camondo, Paris
Some Historical Sew Monthly projects take time to create. Some take time to research. This project took years of both and if you read to the end, there is a surprise!
In 2010 I was just learning the basics of good Victorian costume recreation. There was an online exhibition through Foundations Revealed requiring that two projects be entered representing very short periods in fashion history. The Victorian Natural Form Era was my first choice representing 1877 to 1882. For the second era I chose the style represented in this painting. A style described as "indicative of a turn towards bourgeois ideals of simplicity and naturalness". It also contains elements of a style known as a Robe a la Turque, but I'll let you slide down that rabbit hole by yourself.
My goal was simply to recreate the painting using whatever was available to me. I discovered a Wingeo pattern that I felt would give me the proper silhouette of fitted back, open at the waist in front, and long sleeves.
Proper underpinnings are the foundation of any historical silhouette and the bum roll/pad included with this pattern was easy and perfect for extending the beautiful back of the robe.
To capture the richness of the black robe I used a cotton velvet with red satin piping. I traced the neckline of the robe and created a collar and added piping to self-drafted cuffs.
The robe bodice and sleeves are lined in cotton, but the lower part of the robe is unlined.
The stomacher pattern is simply boned.
The petticoat fabric was a lucky find on an auction site and while not an historically accurate fabric it is the perfect color.
The silhouette with the large bum pad is perfect!
The waist scarf was difficult to recreate and it took a lot of searching to find a piece of gold fabric which mimics the portrait. This fabric worked well.
The last piece to recreate was the headpiece which appeared to be a turban. This Lynn McMasters - Out of a Portrait Pattern has an option for creating a turban over an existing hat. I had a felt hat, extra gold/red striped fabric, and black fur and all together it also worked well.
The woven chiffon was another fortunate find. The gold circles were woven into the chiffon and were visible from both sides. Adding a metallic gold edge and metallic woven lace to the edges took many hours. 4,896 stitches completely around the scarf, times two! But the results were stunning!
As you can imagine this velvet robe, turban, and all other accessories took quite a bit of space in the suitcase, but I packed it all and flew to Costume College 2019 in Los Angeles, California. We had a group of costumers recreating historical portraits and this gown was going to fit well in that group. These are my photos from Costume College.
And the side-by-side photo with the portrait.
I hope you have enjoyed this short summary of a very long journey!! The surprise? Oh yes, almost forgot! Next spring I'm making my first and only trip to Paris. I will be staying just a short distance from the Musée Nissim de Camondo and will be able to see this portrait. I'm so excited that after adoring it for all these years I will be able to see the portrait in a perfect setting. Maybe I should wear my recreation in honor?
Historical Sew Monthly
The Challenge: Out of a Portrait
The Portrait: Élizabeth Vigée LeBrun - Genevieve-Sophie le Coulteux du Moley 1788
Pattern: Wingeo Robe a L'anglaise WN207
Year: 1788
Fabric: Cotton velvet, synthetic for petticoat and waist sash, silk chiffon scarf for turban
Notions: Satin piping, metallic and lace edging for scarf, fur for turban, turban base, boning for stomacher, lace
How historically accurate is it? The petticoat, stomacher, and robe are not sewn by hand except for hems. To obtain the look of the portrait there were modern fabrics used for the petticoat and waist sash. While the look is recreated, the accuracy is perhaps 30%.
Hours to complete: 90 hours
First worn: Costume College 2019
Total cost: I would have to guess if I were trying to buy everything today it would cost several hundred dollars.
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