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A versatile Victorian technique
Karin J. Bohleke8 min read
Throughout the nineteenth century, home and professional dressmakers, and especially textile industrialists, invested considerable ingenuity and creativity into methods for ornamenting clothing and household objects. One technique—applied braidwork—saw a particular spike in popularity (in both the United States and Europe) during the mid-nineteenth century, although it had certainly existed for centuries.
The intersection of several factors contributed to a fresh interest in braidwork in the 1850s and 1860s, including the wide publication of patterns in women’s fashion magazines, the invention of sprung steel-cage crinolines that provided a large surface area begging for ornamentation, and the industrial production of a wide variety of braids for creating different effects, alone or in combination with other braids, ribbons, or pieces of velvet or satin appliqué. In addition, braid trims associated with military uniforms dating back to the Napoleonic wars reappeared on women’s dresses during the American Civil War era.
Braidwork patterns, which were based upon a continuous line of a repeated motif or combination of alternating designs, ranged from simple to highly complex and could be arranged to suit any curved or straight shape. Only a few repeats needed to appear as a pattern for the dressmaker to know how to manipulate them, making braidwork designs a very convenient way for an editor to fill an odd space on a magazine page or offer a full-page feature.
A note in pencil identifies the sitter as Louise Hurlbut, Mrs. Mason Young (1839–1925), probably taken around the time of her wedding on December 10, 1862. The sleeves, shoulders, and bodice center fronts of her dress are ornamented with simple braid curlicues. Although the folds of her skirt obscure the details, it appears that she outlined her pocket opening with the same design.
Today, soutache braid is largely all that remains in the category of fine braid available for use as trim. Most braid and cord trimmings otherwise currently in production are of a heavier weight that is more suitable for upholstery projects than for most clothing. The mid-nineteenth century Frank Leslie’s Portfolio of Fancy Needlework explained the broader meaning that the word soutache formerly held: “[It is] the generic name under which all braids & gimps are known in France. Some are exceedingly simple. Others. . . are extremely ornamental.” The passage further adds: “Some have chenille or gold or silver mingled; others are of silk only; many are shaded in one or two colors, and these are very beautiful” (see note 1).
Under the broad category of soutache, specific braid types had precise names. Matilda Marian Pullan (1819–1862), who published widely under the names Mrs. Pullan and Aiguillette (“little needle”), explains that Russian braid was indeed a braid, whereas French braid was a plain weave. When two colors were used to produce a Russian braid, it was known as an Alliance braid. Star braid had a serrated edge and was noticeably more expensive but had the added benefits of durability and attractiveness. Albert braid was a fine cord and was a suitable substitute for flat braids in various projects (see note 2).
Customers purchased braids not by the yard but by the hank, which could vary in length from 9 or 10 yards to 18 (see note 3). Projects routinely combined different braids, or braids with silk or velvet ribbons, for a rich effect. This notion of mixing trims offers creative possibilities for makers today exploring the old braiding projects.
An unidentified woman visited the photo studio of H. Manger in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, circa 1863. The trims on her bodice and skirt are an elaborate combination of applied braidwork and silk ruching.
Different techniques were available for transferring the designs to the textile in question. For lighter fabrics, holding the fabric and the pattern against a sunny window permitted easy tracing and was recommended for multiple embroidery and embellishment techniques in many manuals of the nineteenth century. Pricking a pattern and then pouncing it onto the fabric was another, more time-consuming, method. Always eager to meet demand with innovation, manufacturers produced stamping blocks, which were essentially sturdy shaped wooden blocks with metal bands firmly embedded in the surface. Customers could then stamp the designs with ease wherever they wished. To facilitate the work, the braiding was completed before the item was assembled. In addition, manufacturers quickly developed a special braiding foot for those lucky enough to own or have access to a sewing machine.
The patterns themselves appeared regularly in fashion magazines. Between July and December 1862, Godey’s Lady’s Book published 29 braiding patterns, a number of which were rigidly geometric, while others exploited the sinuous lines that braids easily follow (see note 4).
Varying the ground fabric could produce dramatically different results. The Ladies’ Cabinet of Fashion provided an intricate pattern and suggested using white braid on white cotton net, resulting in a lacy effect, or silk braid on merino wool. The accompanying description further recommended using Albert braid instead of the flat Russia braid because it could be put on far faster and more easily (see note 5).
An unidentified young lady from Baltimore, Maryland, used a slightly abstract floral pattern from Godey’s to outline the epaulettes, wrist openings, and curved center fronts of her jacket, which was a style known as a “Zouave jacket,” in imitation of the famous extravagant military uniforms of the French army, circa 1864.
Photos from the time show that women used these patterns to produce their own clothing. In the hands of professionals, braidwork was sometimes used to cover the entire surface of a high-fashion garment. The flexibility of braidwork designs, combined with the ease and speed with which one could produce various projects, expanded the use of the technique far beyond ornamenting large garments such as dresses and outerwear. Slippers, smoking caps, reticules, shaving kit covers, pincushions, muffs, and small purses were just the beginning of the suggested projects published in ladies’ magazines.
The Victorians loved to “package” things, and the original patterns for cases for notes, spectacles, cigars, and handkerchiefs can be easily adapted today for glasses and cell phone cases. Designs for cushions can also be used as is or adjusted to create cases for tablets and laptops. Other offerings for the home included placemats. One popular pattern combination consisted of a wool base fabric with a velvet or satin appliqué that was outlined with braidwork along the edges, and as an ornament on the surface of the appliqué, which then formed an additional, separate design surrounding the appliqué motif.
The various projects relied on strong contrasts in color and texture. Suggestions for the base fabrics typically listed wool or velvet in shades of maroon, scarlet, crimson, purple, green, brown, or similar “grave, but rich” colors (see note 6). Eye-catching braidwork effects were achieved by combining gold with another strong color, such as green or red, or a two-tone braid consisting of gold and one of the desired contrasting shades.
As Mrs. Pullan wrote, “Gold, indeed, looks well upon cloth of any colour; but many other combinations, if not as handsome, still look very well” (see note 7). Godey’s Lady’s Book agreed: “Any kind of soutache will look well on black velvet. . .” (see note 8). It should be stated that the nineteenth-century sense of color coordination relied on placing dark trims on a lighter base; guides to choosing colors discouraged the opposite. For example, Peterson’s Magazine explained that “. . . if the dress is black, white should be sparingly used, as otherwise the effect will be muddy . . .” (see note 9). It should be noted that items for children often consisted of white braid on white cotton for ease of washing. Surviving garments that consist of black braid on white often represent juvenile mourning attire after a death in the family (see note 10).
The popularity of applied braid trims on women’s and children’s clothing remained steady for decades; naturally, the styles themselves and their suitability for braiding continued to evolve. As the nineteenth century drew to its close, the rise of the Art Nouveau movement resulted in a different approach to braidwork design in the early twentieth century.
A strong contrast between the base fabric and the braid generally characterized nineteenth-century examples, whereas softer matching tones began to develop in the 1880s and 1890s and continued in the early twentieth century. As before, the designs still displayed a range from simple to complex. To create a luxurious effect, women’s fashions of the early twentieth century also featured complex combinations of different laces, braids, other cord trims, and even sequins and beads.
Although braidwork appeared in women’s fashions in the 1920s and beyond, it no longer enjoyed its earlier level of popularity. Whether sewn by hand or machine, braidwork nonetheless represented a significant cost in time and labor that was not compatible with a world of ever-increasing mass production. The current vogue, however, for home sewing, upcycling, and creating unique garments of high quality invites a fresh exploration of this and other historic techniques that added beauty and originality to both garments and home accessories.
Interested in learning more about historic needlework? This article and others can be found in the Summer 2024 issue of PieceWork.
Also, remember that if you are an active subscriber to PieceWork magazine, you have unlimited access to previous issues, including Summer 2024. See our help center for the step-by-step process on how to access them.
Karin J. Bohleke is the director of the Fashion Archives and Museum of Shippensburg University and serves as an adjunct professor in Shippensburg’s Applied History MA program. She earned her PhD from Yale University. Following in the family footsteps of generations of skilled textile enthusiasts, Karin has been sewing, knitting, embroidering, tatting, and studying the fiber arts since early childhood. She lectures on costume history, serves as a consultant to museums and historical societies, and applies her needle skills to textile conservation. She and her husband live near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where they also teach historic dance.
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