This guide is to assist the new female re-enactor who wishes to portray a soldier's wife in the period around 1809-15.

The guide provides a recommended, researched set of inexpensive clothes and accessories which comprise the basic costume of soldiers' wives.

"Pyne's Microcosm [1806] showed the Army still being followed by wagons piled high with tents, furniture, women and children. Soldiers' wives still nursed the wounded, washed the soldiers' clothes, cooked their meals, dressed their pigtails and sang and danced with them, as well as watching them being killed in action. These raveling nurses, housewives, and washerwomen wore the usual plain dress [skirt, chemise and vest or bedgown] mob cap, kerchief and apron in summer, although winter would see the addition of hoods, cloaks, soldiers' coats, or blanket mantles." (De Marly page 79)

Shift/Chemise

This garment was worn next to the body. During the day it was under clothing and at night it was used to sleep in. The chemise was worn mid-calf or longer. Sleeves were below the elbow finishing in casing with drawstring. Re-enactors really need two shifts.

Material: Linen or cotton (medium weight, not sheer)

Colour: white

Pattern: Eagle's View or Gilgun pages 42 - 44.

Skirt (also known as petticoat)

Skirts were simply constructed in two pieces of material (front and back) joined at the sides but leaving a nine inch opening at the top to allow access to pockets. The skirt was held in place with a ¾ inch waistband. The skirt was gathered or pleated into the waistband, or a drawstring could be used instead of the waistband.

Length: period sketches show skirts stopping well short of the ankle - in modern-speak, about ¾ length, but longer than mid-calf. Surviving examples of skirts are about 110-120 inches around the lower hem.

Material: wool, linen, less often cotton.

Colour: dark blue is often recorded, but brown was also common. A variety of other colours would also have been available. Solid colours are recommended - patterns would have been used as well but not enough is known about them.

Pattern: Eagle's View Patterns

Left shows skirt however women would have worn a bedgown or bodice and kerchief over the chemise. Apron on the right includes a bib, which was not typical of England.

Bedgown

Bedgowns were jackets to the hip (or longer), usually fastened with ties (or pins but not buttons) down the front (de Marly, page 80). Found all across Britain and Wales, and still common in the countryside in 1850. Also known as jacket bodice and (perhaps) short gown.

Short Gown: Variation of the Bedgown, with differences to the Bedgown possibly just being regional variations, especially in the United States. In Great Britain, most references call a working woman's jacket a Bedgown. Gilgun (page 48) has a good description of a US variant.

Material: Linen, wool or cotton. For re-enactors, one in wool for winter, one in cotton for summer.

Colours: plain or stripped material. Stripes on the arms should be horizontal rather than vertical down the arm. Blue was probably the most common colour.

Pattern: Gilgun (page 45) - note that the most distinct change in style was that the sleeves became narrower and longer around 1800. Gilgun's pattern has the shorter belled sleeve ends.

References: de Marly, page 80; Gilgun, page 40

Bodice or Woman's Vest

A bodice or woman's vest was worn over a chemise. It is styled similar to a corset and, if made of firm wool, lined and tied snugly, gives much the same effect. Hip or waist length variants were worn. Laced at the front, or secured by ties.

Material: Linen, wool or cotton.

Colour: period pictures give few clues to colours or patterns. Colours for bedgowns might be a guide.

Pattern: Eagle's View Patterns

These were knee length or longer with garters used below the knee to hold them in place. Knitted or woven styles were both used.

Fabric: cotton or wool

Colour: red and white are specifically noted (Yarwood, page 396), however many others were likely to be acceptable.

Country woman 1814. Long bedgown, apron and kerchief visible. Note skirt length.

Cunnington, Phillis, Occupational Costume in England from the Eleventh Century to 1914. Adam and Charles Black, London, 1967

De Marly, Diana, Working Dress: a history of occupational clothing. B.T. Batsford, London 1986

Gehret, Ellen J., Rural Pennsylvania Clothing: being a study of the wearing apparel of the German and English Inhabitants both Men and Women who resided in Southeastern Pennsylvania in the late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Century. Liberty Cap Books, York. nd

Gilgun, Beth, Tidings from the 18th Century. Scurlock Publishing, Texas 1993

Von Boehn, Max, Modes and manners of the 19th Century. Aver Co Pub, reprint 1972

Williams-Mitchell, Christobel, Dressed for the job: the story of occupational costume. Blandford Press, Dorset. nd

  Yarwood, Dorene, The Encyclopaedia of world costume. B.T. Batsford, London 1978