Phyllis Lorimer's commentary:
I am not trying to sound conceited or arrogant, but ever since I was a little girl, people on the streets would often compliment my appearance, saying things like "Your petite yet slim figure and beautiful eyes really stand out!" I am genuinely thankful to my parents for the good genes, but I also believe that my sense of style plays a big role in enhancing my overall look. I have known from a young age that I have a deep love and passion for dressing up and making myself look my best. It brings me joy, and I still enjoy it to this day. The dress worn by the little girl in the picture takes me back to my childhood dresses. Back when I lived with my sisters and my father in our beautiful house, I could easily buy charming dresses like the ones in the pictures. However, since our father left us in a financial crisis, I no longer have the freedom to do so. My younger self would have already purchased the green dress on the far left. I cannot even begin to imagine how well the vibrant green color of that dress would complement my eyes! However, I'm fully aware of how hard my sisters are working at the photography shop to provide us with our basic needs. I am profoundly grateful for the sacrifices, and I hope that our situation improves so we can regain the lifestyle we had before everything took a turn for the worse.
Editorial commentary:
Just like Phyllis and many others, women in the Victorian era had significantly different and complicated styles than women in modern society do nowadays. The freedom of style is very limited and there were certain rules for women to follow. It is known that some 19th century dresses can be worn for more than one purpose, but very specific rules govern when each type of gown is appropriate (Vidler 4). Based on the time of the day, there are different outfits that women should be wearing. For example, Sacques or corsets are not allowed to be shown unless it is worn as a nightgown to sleep or for the purpose of breastfeeding and privacy (Vidler 41). On the other hand, for men in the Victorian era, clothes are to show their authority rather than for aesthetics (Carney 9). During this era, clothing acted as a method of social control and Ideal morality and masculinity were represented to a Victorian audience (Carney 10, Roberts 189). These differences contrast heavily and show the ideology during this time period even though there are some corresponding aspects in modern society as well. I believe this could be related to the starting concept of the new woman in the Victorian era in a way since women started to realize the difference between many aspects of their lives and that of the lives of men. New women felt the need to change the way their life is controlled by male figures against their will and it became a strong wave of feminism which ended up resulting in gaining women’s suffrage in the future.
Sources:
Carney, Anne. “Clothing Makes the Man: Constructing Morality and Masculinity through Depictions of Men’s Clothing in the Victorian Era.” Open Works, openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/7954/. Accessed 12 Oct. 2023.
“Costumes.” London Picture Archive, www.londonpicturearchive.org.uk/view-item?key=SXsiUCI6eyJ2YWx1ZSI6ImRyZ…. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.
Roberts, Helene E. “The Exquisite Slave: The Role of Clothes in the Making of the Victorian ...” The University of Chicago Press Journal, www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/493387?journalCode=signs. Accessed 12 Oct. 2023.
Vidler, Lisha. “What to Wear: Rules for Victorian Dressing, Part I.” Yesterday’s Thimble, Yesterday’s Thimble, yesterdaysthimble.com/articles/rules-for-victorian-dressing-i/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2023.