Edwardian street style: Astonishing amateur images which capture the fashion of women

UK Daily Mail ^ | July 16, 2012 | Staff

[C19fan]

Street blogging may be considered to be a modern phenomenon, but a series of images unearthed by Kensington and Chelsea Libraries prove that the practice may date as far back as the early 1900’s. The Library service has published several wonderful images by the late amateur photographer Edward Linley Sambourne, who was also the chief cartoonist for Punch, which give an amazing insight into the street style of the woman of London and Paris over a century ago. Sambourne’s beautiful street photography captures the casual side of Edwardian fashion in a manner which is rarely seen.

[C19fan]

The clothes are gorgeous and this is just the clothes women wore to just go about town in. What a treat it would be to walk around London during this time and appreciate the pretty ladies in their finery. Probably the men would take notice that it became socially acceptable for women to show their ankles, va va voom hee hee. Before that time ankle showing was a sign you were a fallen women.

[libertarian27]

I see that some of them were captured walking while reading a book....not too far off from today with people walking and using their smart phones.

I watched an old ‘reality’ program from the UK (1999) over the weekend “The 1900 House”...one of the big problems back then were the restrictive, body altering corsets.

[ClearCase_guy]

Very nice.

I do find it a little odd that some of the outfits are described as "black". How can one tell?

[fieldmarshaldj]

We all look like slobs today. They’d be horrified at us a century hence.

[C19fan]

You make a good point but the outcome was so pretty and it forced a woman to have a nice posture while walking. I think Princess Kate wore some sort of corset for her wedding. Is it any different from today’s women who put themselves under the knife to alter their bodies?

[deoetdoctrinae]

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[cuban leaf]

I’m also reminded that those pictures were taken before the invention of the bra.

Also, maybe it was just the photographer’s taste, but I didn’t see any women that could remotely be called “fat”.

[bgill]

All I can think is how hot wearing all the fluff would be. Sewing it all and ironing it would be a nightmare.

[EEGator]

What, our women are classy today:

[Mercat]

I don’t understand the waistline and the baggy shirt front. The waistline goes down in front and up in back. The shirts look very unflattering to me. I usually like period clothes but am confused by those two elements. I love the shoes. The hats are sort of disturbing too.

[miss marmelstein]

This is one of my favorite periods in women’s fashion. So pretty. I love the photos of the ladies walking along reading their little books. It almost looks like they are texting.

[smokingfrog]

cool

Some of the hats are a little over the top, but I guess it was a way for women to express their individuality.

[SatinDoll]

I lived in Spain for six years. The streets were always littered with trash. I notice in these photos - NO litter on the sidewalks or the streets.

[C19fan]

Obviously it was totally unacceptable to trash the street and one might add there would of been a small army of street sweepers keeping London as tidy as possible. Also, this would of been in the more fashionable parts of London out in Westminster and the West End. I would imagine the East End would of been much dirtier. Although if the ladies crossed they have to navigate the horse dung.

[fieldmarshaldj]

I think the one thing I hate most of all is seeing women today cover themselves in tattooes, and Miley is one of ‘em.

[knarf]

And no fatsos.

Were eating habits more refined?

[Paradox]

Were eating habits more refined?

No, they just ate a little less and exercised more.

[AnAmericanMother]

One of Sambourne's cartoons:

This was Punch's annual "New Year" cartoon - lots of commentary on issues of the day.

The owl on top of the heap is Gladstone:

[MayflowerMadam]

How beautiful and classy. I shudder to think of laundry day, though. Washing and ironing those clothes would be a nightmare.

[SMARTY]

Ha!

No argument there!

Now days, girls compete to see who can look most like a
sl%$.

What I don't get is the ‘dirt’ part of the look. I mean, I was a hippy too, in college... BUT my clothes were clean and ironed. I also made some attempt to look feminine.

NOW, somehow girls achieve the ‘dirty’ look intentionally...dirty clothes, wrinkled clothes, pants dragging on the ground... torn and DIRTY. Especially, the hair style that looks like you dumped a bottle of Mazola on your head and then pulled your hair up into a messy blob.

I am sure tired of looking at dirty hair.... even if it is clean and made to look matted and dirty!

I am ashamed of being a woman when I see such sloppy and dirty girls who have NO regard for themselves. I guess the homely girls live this ‘style’ because now everyone looks like THEM!