Here are some images of Baroness Lucile Aurore Dupin better know as George Sand the flamboyant female writer who often went out in mans clothing! I know how shocking :) Especially back in the 1830's lord knows that even her title did not protect her from scrutiny of her choice of dress, I myself think it was unique and very much part of what made Lucile George heehee :) But I love eccentric women as I am one!
This is a image of George in a beautiful black silk taffeta dress with white lace at the collar and a dramatic black lace veil this dress is from around 1838-39...And yes George could wear dresses she wasn’t always wearing pants and smoking and drinking!
Now this sketch of George is what we are most used to seeing her look like ie the pants waist coat and coat with top hat and big cravat in this sketch her hair is short in the front, I don’t think her hair was cut all the way around..This sketch is from around 1835-39.
Wonderful photo of George she looks very pretty in the photo, she is wearing a very pretty dress and has her short side hair curled up very nicely she still has her own touch in this outfit as we see with her very mannish jacket she wears..George always did things her way! Heehee you got to love it! This photo is from around 1845-49.
Yet another photo of George this time dressed very boy like with coat waist coat and cravat photo is from around 1860-64.
Here we have two images of Miss Amelia Bloomer the one who made the fashion statement of wearing here bloomers out with only a short dress above Amelia was born today may 27th 1818 and worked her whole life for woman’s rights, I know today a lot of people may take for granted what she did...But you have to admit that it took great gumption to stand up against so many people especially back in 1850 and say I am not going to wear skirts to my ankle! And this was a time when it was considered not only indecent but bad taste and a women with no morals basically any bad thing that could be said to women that embraced the Bloomer look, really got a lot of shit for it, and you had to be a very strong women to do this! So yes Miss Amelia Bloomer was daring and a very strong women who was very opinionated but she did pave the way for us women to wear whatever we damn well please to!
And what where you expecting other than “Bloomers” heehee but in this illustration of Amelia she is in her typical comfortable bloomer outfit! This is from exactly 1851 and when she wore that everyone was talking about Amelia Bloomer!
Wonderful photo of Amelia Bloomer you can tell she is very pretty and even though she has her bloomers going on her whole outfit looks very good together from her hat to her coat this photo is from around 1850-55.
Ah Madame X or Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau which is her name was born in New Orleans and was French Creole after the civil war her Mother moved her to France where Virginie soon became the fashion butterfly she how ever had her own styles! As all draining women do! She had very pale skin but would use powder to make her skin seem even more pale she also dyed her hair so it would be a darker color also to heighten her very pale skin she penciled in her eyebrows so she always had a elegant dramatic look! She is mainly know as Madame X her painting that was painted by Sargent back in the 1880's I am posting that painting and another of the daring beautiful Virginie :)
Ah the famous painting that had the world talking and saying...Who's that girl? Well that girl is Virginie wearing her famous little black dress! She maybe the one that started the trend of the famous little black dress heehee :) Painting is from around 1885-89.
This is a later painting of Virginie around 1898 and as always are miss trend setter is looking great!
Martha Jane Cannary Burke better know as Calamity Jane! This wild girl from the old west has inspired people left and right and even though she is know better for being a tough gun slinging old west chick! she was still someone with a big heart who cared about a lot of people..And after all what post would be complete without a post about this daring women!Calamity Jane! The photo I am posting here is from 1895 she is yes wearing buckskin pants and a fringe shirt that you would most likely see any guy wearing in the old west but Miss Calamity Jane was a free spirit that wasn’t about to be put in to a corset!
This photo is of Calamity Jane looking very guy like, her whole outfit is not only very old west but is exactly what any guy would have worn back then, not many women where draining enough to even show there ankles let alone there legs in pants! But Calamity is after all Calamity Jane! And this girl had gumption to boot! Now don’t think for a minute that just cause she wore a lot of mans clothing that she didn’t have a feminine streak quite the contrary she did, I always think having a big heart and taking care of people is indeed a big feminine streak that we women carry! And she always helped out sick people and wounded even Indians when few would...But Calamity just preferred wearing pants and I am sure she got a lot of grief for it, which shows that no matter what others said she stuck by her guns ie she wasn’t about to be to change.
Now from Miss Calamity Jane to Miss Annie Oakley! Who was and in my opinion still the best women sharp shooter! This girl was brave and daring and went on tour around the world showing there was nothing she couldn’t shoot! I have a lot of pride towards Miss Oakley and wish I could have seen her shoot..She often wore a shorter dress and all her many medals that she had won! And as beautiful is Annie was she was just as talented!
Wonderful photo of Annie Oakley looking as pretty as a picture and with all her medals not only was Annie pretty but no one could shoot better than her and I sincerely doubt anyone can shoot as good as her today! This photo of Annie is from 1890.
This photo shows Annie aiming her gun and wearing a very stylish dress that is shortened most likely to make it easier on her to shoot, but what ever the reason her draining look is very much her own and very pretty!
Annie with bangs still looking very pretty in her western style outfit and hat.
Another of her shortened dresses but even with it being shortened it looks very pretty!
Another good photo of Annie in a typical western garb that she wore!
And of course what Annie Oakley post would be complete without a photo of her with the looking glass trick that she could do!
Now to the unsinkable Molly Brown! This woman is the word draining! A risk taker a go getter! And boy oh boy did she know here fashion! She went to Paris and some of the biggest fashion houses and getting some of the best and prettiest fashion...A lot of people treated Molly as if she where nothing but nouveau riche and a would be, but truth is wealth does not give you good taste or sense of fashion in style..And Molly had both good taste and lots of style! I really hate that people still look at her as just nothing more than a nouveau riche social climber, truth is there is nothing wrong with wanting to be excepted and appreciated its just a shame that not more people did appreciate this great women! Who was strong brave and defiantly her own person...If I could go back in time I can imagine a day spent with Molly would not only be memorable but tons of fun!
Early photo of Molly Brown with her husband and kids this photo is taken sometime around in the 1880's and shows that even early on Molly had a good sense of what looked good. Photo is from around 1885-88.
Here is a photo of Molly in the 1890s and looking very very fashionable as I said she knew her fashion and fashion designers!
And now to another favorite person “Gabrielle Colette” Who is one of my favorite writers a lot of people will know her from the story Gigi but she wrote way more than that, but this woman was indeed draining and I love her! She always did her own thing and in my mind was the epitome of femininity she understood women better than most and as to her fashion style everything from haute couture to the exotic to out right sexy! Here I have a painting of her and many photos even two of her as a child with her famous super long hair that her ass hole husband cut off! Which was very traumatic to Gabrielle he did other mean things to her like cheating on her and trying to take the rights and money to many of her books...So is it any wonder she divorced him!
This is a photo of Gabrielle as a child with a wonderful silk and lace dress in the height of fashion! Also you can see her famous long hair which is super beautiful this photo is from 1880-85.
Another childhood photo of Gabrielle and once again shes dressed to the nines! Even as a child this cute little fashion trend setter is wearing the best clothes yet again!
Now we have a painting of Gaberielle all grown up and looking all so fashionable from her head to her toes, this painting is from around 1893-95.
The face of a angel and the talent of a muse! Here comes Anna Held! Anna lived a hard life and worked very very hard to get where she got! She was a Ziegfeld girl ie she was the first wife to Flo Ziegfeld she could do everything from dance and sing and of course act! A great beauty who had come from nothing absolutely nothing to everything, some people said she was extravagant ie her many dresses and shoes and hats and of course jewelry to her famous milk baths that she would take to even being the first women to have plastic surgery ie she had a rib removed so that her famous 18inch waist could now be put in a corset and laced to make a 16inch...I however think that was silly on her part and it was far too dangerous back in 1900 for any cosmetic surgery, but for what ever reason she felt she needed to do this, why I am not sure cause lord knows she was gorgeous but maybe she herself did not see herself that way..She spent the rest of her life on stage and she went to the front during world war 1 to entertain the troops she had a big heart and was not afraid of going to the front if it would make the troops happy, so all and all she was a very beautiful French/Jewish actress that came from nothing to everything a very hard worker who had a big heart and should be remembered as such.
Beautiful talented Anna Held, in this photo she is in the height of fashion even her hair screams late 1890's! :)
Beautiful Anna Held! Looking all so pretty.
In this picture Anna is wearing haute couture and looking always very fashionable! Picture late 1890's.
Here is Anna in one of her gorgeous stage outfits, a lot of the theatrical costumes used back then where made of great material and sometimes had famous designers to! This photo is from around 1895-97.
I was going to post more images of Miss Anna Held and Gabrielle Colette but sadly my photobucket is acting up so I will have to put more images on my second post sorry :(
Well this does it for me today but this is only part one as there are many many more darning women to post about! If there is a darning woman you want to see in my next post please message me and let me know who she is and why you think she should be included?
