What they wear in "My Inconvenient Duke"

Margaret Sarah Carpenter, Portrait of Lady Harriet Georgiana Brudenell (1799-1836), married Richard William Penn Curzon-Howe, 2nd Viscount Curzon (later 1st Earl Howe) in 1820. Portrait date 1834.

I’ll be the first to admit that 1830s women’s fashions are baffling and not necessarily attractive to 21st century eyes. But for a writer, they offer solid gold material. The male characters marvel at what the women are wearing, although these men are mainly preoccupied with a strategy for getting the lady out of the clothing. And if a man gets lucky, and gets to test his strategy, the process makes for fun, because there are so many layers, and one must deal with tapes and buttons and hooks and eyes. Oh, and those sleeve puffs, too.

As I’ve mentioned more than once, I also like the way women made themselves so big with these ensembles—not simply the big sleeves and swelling skirts, but also their hair and their headwear. The 1700s had big hair, and so did the 1980s, but the knots and rolls and swirls of the 1830s are something else altogether. It’s amazing what they could do without our blow dryers and gels and pastes and lacquers. Instead, it’s pomatum (aka pomade, and made of grease of some kind and natural scents) and pins and various hairpieces. There’s nothing shy and retiring about these fashions. And none of the “less is more” way of thinking. It’s “more is more.” And I find it fascinating and stimulating.

Of course, when you read, you’ll picture the clothing in a way that’s appealing to you—and that’s as it should be. Reading let us use our imagination.

Even when I write descriptions, I usually keep details to a minimum. This is partly not to slow down the story but also to allow readers to make the mental image they want. For instance, in Chapter 2 of My Inconvenient Duke, Lady Alice wears “a redingote of deep onyx.” That’s it. Not that I’ve been able to discover where that came from. After searching my numerous books and the images on my hard drive, I’ve begun to suspect that I made it up or created one dress from a couple of fashion descriptions.

But a redingote is, basically, a close-fitting (from the waist up) dress that fastens all the way down the front, like a coat. And the color onyx is not mysterious, unlike so many other fashionable color names one encounters.

In the gallery below you’ll see most of the clothing mentioned in the book. Many of the images will be slightly distorted. This is because I photographed them from my copy of the 1832-33 The World of Fashion, in which the monthly magazine is bound. It’s very old, very thick, and I don’t have the right (i.e., expensive) kind of scanner for this kind of work.

Two Nerdy History Girls on YouTube

If you missed the Two Nerdy History Girls’ chat with Meena Jain and the wonderful group of readers and nerdy history people who joined us, you can tune into YouTube. Or you might want a replay in case you missed something. I sure did. While I love not knowing what questions will arise (it keeps my brain stimulated), I know there will be some whose answers escape me at the time—or maybe I’ll think of additional information after the chat is over. So yes, this happened, and I will probably do some follow-ups.

If you’d like to watch or re-watch, here’s the link. Or you can look up “The Two Nerdy History Girls Ride Again! 4.14.2025”, which is on the Ashland Public Library MA channel.

Readers asked about Court dress and maternity wear (very important at a time when so many women spent most of their childbearing years bearing children) as well as a number of questions about medical care, disease, women’s health.

If you’d like to follow up on a subject raised during the chat, you can send me an email via the Contact Loretta page on my website. Your topic might be quite blogworthy—which would allow me to go on and on in nerdy history fashion—something to look forward to!

In excellent timing, @littleblossomdarling (Blossom Darling on Facebook), very recently posted a short video about menstruation and women’s clothing. You might want to follow her on social media, because she tackles many of the same topics that come up in these chats and elsewhere. And a note of credit to dress and textile historian Hilary Davidson (@fourredshoes) whose discussion of Jane Austen’s clothing got the 2NHGs thinking about women’s heights.

The Two Nerdy History Girls return. Again.

Yes, it’s turned out to be a regular thing, and being a Nerdy History Girl, I for one am very happy about this. Meena Jain, Director of the Ashland Public Library, continues to invite us back. She also makes it pain-free, and keeps things moving along, a superior host.

And so historical novelist Susan Holloway Scott and I will appear virtually to answer your burning questions about the past. Well, we hope we can answer. At any rate, we’ll do our best, and if matters proceed as they have on previous occasions, we’ll all have a good time.

Details, details:

Virtual - The Two Nerdy History Girls Ride Again!

7pm-8pm ET Monday 14 April

This link will take you to the event information page, which includes the registration link. Or you can register directly here. Either way, you’ll get confirmation and reminder emails. These will come from Zoom, so you may want to check your spam folder.

I hope you’ll join us—and ask some questions!