Dating old photographs from clothes worn in the 1910s

Ensemble, designer unknown

Day dress and hat
Dress, designer unknown, Hat, by Henry of London
About 1910
Great Britain
Museum no. T.23 & 105-1960
Worn by Miss Heather Firbank

Hats reached an immense size in the early 20th century. This very fashionable example from 1910 is made of a fine black straw. It has an outsize crown, which would have been supported by the piled-up hairstyles of the time. Long hat-pins would have secured the hat to the hair. Hats were often lavishly trimmed, and with its mass of purple cotton artificial flowers, this is no exception.

Photograph of ladies walking in the Avenue des Acacias, J. Lartigue

Photograph of ladies walking in the Avenue des Acacias, Paris
Jacques-Henri Lartigue (1894-1986)
1911, Paris
Gelatine silver print
Museum no. CIRC.536-1971

A scene such a this showing fashionably dressed women out walking with their dogs, or with friends, was a favourite subject for the photographer Lartigue. Many of his photographs from this period document high fashion - the women he chose to photograph were the wealthy and well-to-do, dressed in the latest fashions, wearing furs and extravagant hats trimmed with feathers. These women are also wearing the fashionable 'hobble' skirt - a long skirt that cinches at the lower leg and ankle. A stroll in a public park was a favourite pastime for the leisured classes, and women especially took it as an opportunity to display their wealth and taste.

Black silk crepe dress, Lucile

Dress
Lucile (Lady Lucy Duff-Gordon, 1863-1935)
1910-2, London
Black silk crepe, edged with bands of black and cream silk, the neck fitted with machine-made black lace
Museum no. CIRC.645-1964
Worn by Miss Heather Firbank

The house of Lucile was renowned for its asymmetrical styles, of which this matt black silk crepe dinner dress is a perfect example. Set into a high waist, the bias-cut skirt is softly swathed over the left hip and the hem is extended into a triangular train. The cross-over bodice has a plunging V neck fitted with a machine-made black lace, while bands of cream and black silk decorate the neck and cuffs.

This is from the collection of Heather Firbank (1888-1954), daughter of the MP Sir Thomas Firbank and sister of the novelist Ronald Firbank. The dress is a half-mourning dress, meaning that it was worn in the later stages of mourning. Mourning etiquette was well controlled and what could be worn at each stage was rigidly prescribed.

Poster for Hart Schaffner & Marx menswear, E. Penfield

Poster for Hart Schaffner & Marx menswear
Edward Penfield (1866-1925)
About 1910
USA
Colour lithograph on paper
Museum no. 130-1925
Given by H. L. Sparks, Esq.

This is a poster for Hart Schaffner & Marx, who made hand-tailored clothing for men. It depicts youthful fashions. 

The man's suit is less formal than those of previous decades. His blazer is shorter than long Victorian frock coats, and resembles a modern 3-piece suit. His collar is not starched up, but is turned down over his tie.

His dancing partner wears a dress typical of the decade - a long tunic-style top, belted at the waist over a relatively slim ankle-length skirt. This practical, less formal dress style was driven by a dance craze, particularly for the tango, that started in America in the early part of the decade and spread to Europe within a few years. 

Day dress, designer unknown

Day dress
Designer unknown
1912-4
England
Linen, with silk organza collar and cuffs and silk twill bow
Museum no. T.17-1960
Worn by Miss Heather Firbank

This simple 'seaside' dress formed part of Miss Heather Firbank's wardrobe. She was daughter of the affluent Member of Parliament Sir Thomas Firbank and sister of the novelist Ronald Firbank. The dress has a simple collar and spotted cravat. Its fresh youthful style conjures up images of summer holidays during the years before the First World War (1914-1918).

Cravats and foulards were popular at the time on blouses as well as dresses. They were inspired by earlier masculine styles in neckwear. In August 1912 The Queen magazine described 'the prettiest style of Robespierre collar, finishing with a Latin Quartier cravat of blue and white birds-eye spot silk'.

In 1921 Heather Firbank's clothes were packed into trunks and put into storage, where they remained for the next 35 years. In 1960 the V&A acquired well over 100 items from her wardrobe. This collection forms an invaluable record of a stylish and wealthy woman's taste between about 1905 and 1920. Many items were shown in an exhibition at the V&A in 1960. It was called 'Lady of Fashion: Heather Firbank and what she wore between 1908 and 1921'.

Dress, J. Redfern

Dress
John Redfern (1853-1929)
1910-2, London
Museum no. T.32-1960
Worn by Miss Heather Firbank

The high-waisted black cashmere kimono-like gown is trimmed with striking notes of purple and a wide draped purple sash of silk crepe. It has an unusual bodice (without centre back seam), incorporating bat-wing sleeves with long, tapered cuffs and a wired 'Tudor'-style, heart-shaped collar. The gown wraps over and fastens along the left front with tiny press-studs under a line of blind buttonholes with pendant buttons.

This is from the collection of Heather Firbank (1888-1954), daughter of the MP Sir Thomas Firbank and sister of the novelist Ronald Firbank. The dress is a half-mourning dress, meaning that it was worn in the later stages of mourning. Mourning etiquette was well controlled and what could be worn at each stage was rigidly prescribed.

Evening dress, designer unknown

Evening dress
Designer unknown
About 1913
Great Britain or France
Silk chine and silk voile, brocaded with metallic threads, and trimmed with mauve satin, diamantes, imitation pearls and bobbin lace
Museum no. T.33-1947

Before the outbreak of First World War in 1914, which all but smothered the market for luxury goods, couturiers created evening clothes that were complex assemblages of luxurious materials and trimmings. They were often, as with this evening dress, constructed with multiple layers of diaphanous fabrics trimmed with metallic threads, pearls and diamantés to catch the light.

Costume, J. Redfern

Costume (skirt and jacket)
John Redfern (1853-1929)
About 1911
London
Wool flannel with black velvet and silk lining
Museum no. T.39&A-1960
Worn by Miss Heather Firbank

This elegant grey flannel two-piece ensemble is called a 'costume'. Coat-and-skirt ensembles such as this would not have been considered suits until after the First World War. During the early 1910s, fashionable women wore slim skirts and neatly fitted blouses, often under quite loosely fitted coats and jackets. This outfit would have been worn as a walking suit.

Morning suit, Brass & Pike

Morning suit (coat, waistcoat and trousers)
Brass & Pike (tailors)
1910
London
Woven wool barathea edged with silk braid, buttons covered in chequered-woven silk
Museum no. T.57 to B-1962
Given by Mrs B. M. Bohener

This is a typical example of a gentleman's morning suit. In the early years of the 20th century it would have been worn as everyday dress by professional and business gentlemen, as well as for formal occasions. It was said to have been worn at the donor's wedding by her father.

The morning coat originated in the single-breasted tailcoat worn in the early 19th century. This was also known as the riding coat, or 'Newmarket'. By the 1850s the coat was shaped halfway between a riding coat and a frock coat. It was usually single-breasted and was known as the 'cutaway', as the fronts sloped away elegantly to the broad skirts behind.

After the First World War the morning suit was gradually superseded by the lounge suit for everyday wear, though it continued to be worn by older men.

Evening dress, C.F. Worth

Evening dress
Charles Frederick Worth (1825-1895) 
About 1910, Paris
Satin, overlaid with silk net embroidered with silver gilt thread and bugle beads; bodice of ruched silk velvet
Museum no. T.57-1961
Given by Lady Hoyer Millar

Around 1910, leading fashion houses such as Worth created evening dresses with a straight silhouette. Their impact depended on the juxtaposition of colours and a variety of luxurious and richly decorated fabrics. On this garment, vivid velvet pile is set against light-reflecting beadwork, and the triple-tiered matt net overskirt covers the sheen of the trained satin skirt. The pillar-like look exemplified by this dress replaced the exaggerated curves of the early 1900s. It also shows how designers broke the strong vertical emphasis by creating overskirts with horizontal lines. The bodice, however, is still boned (nine bones).

Charles Frederick Worth (1825-1895) was a celebrated couture dressmaker in Paris. Born in England at Bourne in Lincolnshire, he started working at the age of 12 in a draper’s shop in London. After working for various haberdashers and silk mercers, he left for Paris in 1845. In 1858 he went into partnership with a Swedish businessman, Otto Bobergh, and opened his own house. He was soon patronised by the Empress Eugénie (1826-1920), wife of the French Emperor, Napoleon III, and her influence was instrumental to his success. Obtaining made-to-measure clothes from his house was a symbol of social and financial success. They were appreciated for their beauty, elegance and fine workmanship.

Day dress, designer unknown

Day dress
Designer unknown
About 1913
England
Museum no. T.288-1973
Given by Mr J. R. H. Cook

This garment reveals the fashionable elements of dress immediately before World War I (1914-1918). The line is straight and the cut (especially of the cross-over draped bodice) is intricate. Rows of non-functional tiny buttons were frequently used as decorative motifs in this period. The bodice is lined with white cotton (with ruffles attached to give fullness at the bust) and has a stiff, silk-faced waistband. It was not made by one of the top houses, for it is probably a copy by a good dressmaker of a Paris model .

Side saddle riding habit, J. Redfern

Side saddle riding habit (jacket, skirt, breeches)
John Redfern (1853-29)
1912, London
Black wool flecked with white, lined with pearl grey satin (jacket) and cotton twill (skirt); breeches of woollen jersey
Museum no. T.333-1982
Given by Mrs J. G. M. Stewart and Mrs I. O'Reilly

The construction of riding-habits is a highly specialized branch of the tailor's art. Because riding-habits are subject to considerable stress, the emphasis throughout is on firm and accurate construction. Seams that take strain and might rub are lined and reinforced with black cotton, and buttons are backed with cotton. This particular example was made for Mrs James Fraser (née Miss Grace Isabelle Spencer-Smith), the mother of the donors.

John Redfern was born in England about 1819. In the 1870s he began designing beautifully constructed and practical tailored garments to meet the needs of women engaging in various sports, from yachting and tennis to archery and riding. His designs were adopted by royalty, actresses and fashionable women for everyday wear as well as for sports. He opened branches in London (1881), Paris (1881), New York (1884) and Rhode Island (1885). He closed his fashion houses in 1932. They were resurrected in 1936, but closed again in 1940.

Summer day dress, designer unknown

Summer day dress
Designer unknown
About 1910
France
White lacis (needle lace) and embroidered lawn, with macrame fringe and bobble trim; fastened around the waist with a ribbon belt
Museum no. T.465-1974
Given by the Hon. Mrs J. J. Astor

This style of delicate pale dress was immensely popular for wear at summer garden parties and fêtes. It has wide, inset panels of lacis patterned with a meandering leaf stem at the front, back and sleeve tops to complement the light fabric. An inner net bodice fastens at the centre front with a row of minute lawn-covered buttons and loops.

The fashion (current between about 1909 and 1912) for enormous hats was ridiculed in the popular press. However, fashionable women (even suffragettes) continued to wear these extravagant creations. False hair pads ('transformations') were often used, and the hats were anchored with long pins stuck through the hat and the real and false hair (safety guards shielded the sharp hat-pin points).

The dress was given to the Museum by the Hon. Mrs J. J. Astor and forms part of the Cecil Beaton Collection, brought together by the society photographer Sir Cecil Beaton (1904-1980). With great energy and determination, Beaton contacted the well-dressed elite of Europe and North America to help create this lasting monument to the art of dress. The Collection was exhibited in 1971, accompanied by a catalogue that detailed its enormous range.

Day dress, designer unknown

Day dress
Designer unknown
1912-4
England
Linen, with silk organza collar and cuffs and silk twill bow
Museum no. T.17-1960
Worn by Miss Heather Firbank

This simple 'seaside' dress formed part of Miss Heather Firbank's wardrobe. She was daughter of the affluent Member of Parliament Sir Thomas Firbank and sister of the novelist Ronald Firbank. The dress has a simple collar and spotted cravat. Its fresh youthful style conjures up images of summer holidays during the years before the First World War (1914-1918).

Cravats and foulards were popular at the time on blouses as well as dresses. They were inspired by earlier masculine styles in neckwear. In August 1912 The Queen magazine described 'the prettiest style of Robespierre collar, finishing with a Latin Quartier cravat of blue and white birds-eye spot silk'.

In 1921 Heather Firbank's clothes were packed into trunks and put into storage, where they remained for the next 35 years. In 1960 the V&A acquired well over 100 items from her wardrobe. This collection forms an invaluable record of a stylish and wealthy woman's taste between about 1905 and 1920. Many items were shown in an exhibition at the V&A in 1960. It was called 'Lady of Fashion: Heather Firbank and what she wore between 1908 and 1921'.

Lounge suit, designer unknown

Lounge suit (jacket, waistcoat, trousers)
Designer unknown
1918-20
Great Britain
Woven tweed with a vertical stripe; (Jacket) Lined with twill ; (Waistcoat) Lined with linen with a narrow black and wider brown stripe
Museum no. T.215 to B-1960
Given by the executors of Lady Beerbohm

The lounge suit became popular during the 1860s because of its easy comfort. It originated from the 'lounging jacket', which was cut to fit the waist without a waist seam by means of a long dart from under the arm to the waist. By the 1870s the jacket was worn with matching waistcoat and trousers and had become popular for informal wear. In the early 20th century it replaced the frock coat and the morning coat.

The owner of this lounge suit was Sir Max Beerbohm (1872-1956), the English essayist, caricaturist and master of a polished prose style.