Autochromes!

So today is the day that I have been looking forward to for a loooooooooong time. Autochromes!

Anna Stocká by Josef Jindřich Šechtl ca 1909. This photo is the earliest known autochrome of Šechtl's. The lady in the photograph is his future wife Anna. This is my favorite autochrome of all time and it is currently in the collection of the Šechtl & Voseček Museum of Photography. I am especially fond of the soft pale blue color of her dress and her beautiful wide brimmed hat.  

I'll start with an explanation of what an autochrome is. An autochrome is a color photo printed on glass using potato starch. Crazy right? The process was invited by Auguste and Louis Lumière (the same Lumière brothers who invented the motion picture camera the cinématographe). The process was patented in 1903 and was used as late as the 1930s.

The process used a screen of tiny potato starch grains dyed orange-red, green and violet. The grains were dusted onto a glass plate and then covered with a layer of panchromatic silver bromide emulsion. As light entered the camera it was filtered by the dyed grains before it reached the emulsion. The exposure time for one of these images was very very long, but the result was a semi opaque positive color image on glass that required no further printing.

Close up of Autochrome approx 1911

While working at the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film I was very fortunate to get to look at some autochromes up close. They need to be viewed on a light table to be seen properly, but I can tell you that the colors are even more vivid and stunning than the images in this post. It is very difficult to reproduce autochromes as digital files true to color because of the nature in which they are printed.

Autochromes are composed of a series of tri-colored dots (as you can see in the image above) that work like a video screen. Because the dots are so small and so closely packed together the colors of adjacent dots blend together in our eyes. Light from neighboring red and green dots will create a yellow color and like from violet and green dots will make a light blue. Neat, right?

I've included some of my favorite autochromes here, but I strongly encourage you to do a quick search online for others. It's amazing how well these images have held up over time and I just love getting to see the actual colors of frocks from the 1900s and teens!

Couple ca. 1910 by Mrs. Benjamin F. Russell. 

This lady is subscribing to a more relaxed fashion than the lady at the top of his post even though the photos were taken at relatively the same time. She's equally stunning in my opinion. I love the color of her frock, the simple cut, her matching pink scarf, and her cute hat. What do you think, Readers? Is that an engagement ring on her finger there?

Woman wearing red dress with houses in background ca. 1915.

 I find her up-do to be very lovely and her shoes to be very charming. It's a little hard to see but she is wearing a high lace collar and sleeves with lace cuffs. There are a ton of little button details up and down the front and sides of her dress that remind me of traveling coats from this era. I'm not sure what this frock is made out of, but the fabric is obviously quite thick and heavy. Canvas maybe? The way the fabric wrinkles around the skirt hem makes me lean more towards a heavy plant based fabric than an animal fabric.

Dancer wearing Egyptian-look costume with wings reaching to the floor ca. 1915

This would have been at the height of Egyptian fever, though still previous to the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb. As with most images from this period I could find out very little information about the woman in the photo and why she might be wearing this getup. Perhaps she is a dancer, though for what type of production I couldn't say.

Cowgirl by Mrs. Benjamin F. Russell  ca. 1910.

I love her! I love this image!  This autochrome is in the George Eastman House collection, Rochester, NY. I love her big hat and giant rodeo pants. I suspect this is more of a masquerade outfit or show outfit than actual work clothes, but I'm totally cool with that.

Lady Helen Vincent by Lionel de Rothschild ca 1910.

Lady Helen was apparently a society beauty and wife of the diplomat Sir Edgar Vincent. I am swooning over her beautiful pale pink dress with the lace sleeves. Just look at the lacy detail down the front of her skirt and the black belt around her waist is so classy.

Man and women carrying suitcases by Charles C. Zoller  ca 1907 - 1932.

I'm going to go ahead and guess that this print comes from 1918-1922 based on her dress and his sweater and tie. The only thing that keeps me from pinning this a few years later is the lack of make-up on her face. The early 1920s saw a huge swell in make-up usage with the widespread post-war availably of cosmetics. What do you think, Dear Readers? What time might this couple have lived in?

Unknown photographer, subject, and date... but wow. Just wow. Look at that dress! And look at those plumes on that hat! Look at that lace on her blouse! If this lady's attire doesn't scream fashion I don't know what does. Makes a girl want to start making Edwardian clothing doesn't it?

Seneca Pool 1924 ca. 1924

I really love these cute 1920s bathers. This pool was actually located not too far from where I went to college, but it has since been filled in. Look at how the ladies are mostly in dark wool swimsuits, but they wear brightly colored swim caps. I didn't realize that there were so many different cap color options when I wrote my 1920s swimsuit post. You learn something new every day. 

A Wardrobe for Cleaning.

Because everything in her house is waterproof, the housewife of 2000 can do her daily cleaning with a hose.

Another confession my friends. I'm not very good at motivating myself to do the cleaning. Of course I do it on a weekly basis, but I don't particularly like it. I know it doesn't take long. I know it's not as hard as I think it is, but you've got to admit it isn't really very fun.

I think the problem is my cleaning wardrobe. I normally clean in a pair of shorts and ratty tee shirt. This is boring, lame, and above all frumpy. It is simply not acceptable. What I need are some new cleaning outfits like these. 

Oh, this could be my dream kitchen. Don't you just love the kitschy wallpaper? And did you all note the fabulous white strappy shoes! The mini wedge is super cute. Oh white strappy open toed shoes, I need you more and more each day. Who knew they were acceptable cleaning footwear? Yet another reason to pick up a pair! Cleaning is more fun when you are looking your best!

Or I could always clean in an outfit like this. I'm sure Fiancé wouldn't mind. Just make sure to have all the curtains drawn before you start cleaning in this daring look. 

Vintage aprons are fun, but I've got enough of those. What I really need are some vintage house dresses. Yes, house dresses are the key to joyful home cleaning. I mean, look at this women. She's just brimming with the joy of domesticity. Would she be as happy if she were wearing a Frumpy McFrump outfit? I think we all know the answer to that question. 

This is my real cleaning schedule. I basically divide my weekly chores by the day. I generally follow the FlyLady program, with a few changes to fit our crazy schedule. 

Monday: Weekend recovery/Kitchen Day (Water plants, mop kitchen floor, clean kitchen counters and appliances, Clean up whatever mess we inevitably made over the weekend)

Tuesday: Big Cleaning Day/"Home Blessing" Day (Change Sheets, vacuuming, Fiancé empties trash cans and puts garbage out for pick up, Clean out fridge, Dust furniture.)

Wednesday: Dreaded Bathroom Cleaning Day (Mop Bathroom floors, Clean mirrors and doors, scrub toilets, do whatever's left over from Tuesday, make grocery list)

Thursday: Errand Day (Dry Cleaning, Grocery Shopping, Other appointments)

Friday: Paperwork Day/Misc Day (Pay bills, send out birthday cards, mend clothing, clean out car, clear out laundry room) 

Friday night is Date Night. Fiancé normally takes me to our favorite little Japanese restaurant. 

Don't tell anyone, but I sometimes cheat and don't do everything I am supposed to. This is all due to my lack of a proper wardrobe of course. (Right. Wardrobe. That's it. Really! I swear!) So I have constructed my fantasy cleaning wardrobe for optimum cleaning fun. With these I bet I could clean all day and all night. 

Monday starts with this 1939 house dress. Wouldn't cleaning the kitchen sink be so much more fun with this lovely little number? I love the first view with the rickrack. So cute! My ideal Monday dress is the view on the left in a lovely minty green with red or yellow rickrack trim. This is my favorite dress of the bunch. It's important to put your favorite thing on a Monday to help motivate you for the week!

1942ish. The big sleeves on this would be great for the more intense cleaning work I do on Tuesdays. I have got to be able to move around to do all that vacuuming and dusting. The big pocket is perfect for stashing little knick-knacks, papers, or misc. items that need to be placed in another room. I picture this dress in red. Maybe a little ivory rickrack around the arms? hmm? hmm?

Loving the ruffled sleeves on this house dress. Can you see that I have a thing for ruffles? Don't get me started on ribbons. This pattern is from 1948, but the cut of the bodice really reminds me of the 1930s. Imagine view 2 in a blue cotton floral print! Laundry would be so much more pleasurable in this lovely little number. Of course I would have to wear my special bathroom cleaning apron on top of this while scrubbing the toilets. I really don't need those anywhere near my homemade dress. Yick.

Thursday is errand day. This 1953 belted house dress would be perfect for taking a quick run out to the grocery store, picking up the dry cleaning, and getting my hair done. I'd wear a comfortable pair of cleaning shoes at home, but of course I'd switch to pumps to leave the house. I picture this dress in a lovely forest green with a big black belt. 

And finally Friday's house dress from 1941. I picture this in a soft pink cotton print with little flowers or polka dots. (Note stappy white shoes again.) Friday is paperwork day and doesn't involve a lot of elbow grease so a pastel would be just perfect. It also has nice large pockets for holding objects to be transported from room to room. It is also a wrap dress. What type of figure isn't flattered by a wrap dress? With this cut once the cleaning is done it would be a perfect dress for date night! No changing necessary. I'd just let my hair down and go. 

What's your fantasy cleaning wardrobe look like? Would having a cleaning wardrobe turn household chores into house hold joys? Let me know!

Vinspiration Tuesday: Fabric choices

The camera cords have yet to arrive. I was going to snap a few pictures with the cellphone this morning just so I would have something to show, but I decided to be more productive and try to rework the front waistband on my Rubys. I had a serious problem with puckering on the first go around so I did some serious seam-ripping and tried again. The result is something that looks better, but still has too much puckering for my tastes. I'm going to suppose this has something to do with the seam allowances that I used. I went with a 3/8 seam for the entire short, but had to do so serious finagling to get the waistband to line up somewhat properly with the front legs. The Pink Rubys look pretty amateur, but we'll call them the first try. For purple rubies I'll be adding half an inch or so to the front waistband to resolve these puckering problems or simply decrease each front leg width by a quarter of an inch or so.

So I've decided to go in a new direction for Vinspiration today. Picture this: You've got yourself a fabulous 1930s dress pattern, but you're not sure what type of fabric to choose. Fear not, $25V has got you covered. Here are color scans from several different 1930s clothing and pattern magazines to give you some idea of what to look for.

approx 1937, France 

approx 1937, France

approx 1938, France

1930s France. Loving the red and white plaid on the far left. 

1934 Swimsuit, USA, Cosmopolitan Magazine

1930s, USA. I am SO in love with the lace pockets on the dress on the far left. Frugal me says imagine taking a cheap old thrift store lace table cloth and using it for embellishments. 

Spring 1934, USA

Spring 1934, USA, Sears Catalogue

Spring 1934, USA, Sears Catalogue

1937, USA. 

1937, USA

1937, USA

Spring 1938, USA

Spring 1938, USA

For more color magazine scans from the 1930s, check out the Costumers Manifesto. They've got some great stuff over there for historical costume/vintage clothing design. 

More of the pattern haul.

Here are some highlights from a lot of patterns I picked up this week. I've been getting such great prices that I just can't stop myself from buy buy buying. Some of these images are from the vintage pattern wiki, some are from the auction itself.


First on today's list is McCall's 5079. What a cute cute blouse pattern. I really like the short sleeved view C, but lady B looks so nice in her long sleeve with pencil skirt pairing. This pattern came in a Bust 34. I would love to make one of these in a pink or light blue. White is okay, but it'll be my shirt and I like pink.




Next is American Designer Pattern No. 1188 in a Size 16. I WISH WISH WISH this was in my size. Look at the fabulous neck line. Wow, I'm melting. This lady just looks so posh, so sophisticated. Couldn't you just die? The little peek-a-boo detail at the bottom is a nice touch. Love it.

This is my favorite pattern from the whole lot. Not necessarily because of what the pattern is, but because of the note scribbled on the front. It reads "Ramona, dear -- My conscience would not permit me to finance the wearing of pants by a girl, not event to the small extent of furnishing a pattern, so I have removed that portion." So it's not a complete, but this pattern has history. Apparently Ramona didn't care much for the skirt version of this because the pieces were never cut out. It's still factory folded, minus the pants.

Another cute blouse. This is Simplicity 3275. I love the cute little bow on view 3. Not quite sure how I feel about the waist. I'd have to see one of these made up. My pattern is Size 14 Bust 34. I think this would be a great blouse in some sort of light fabric with a simple print. View 3's got the right idea there.

Advance 9729. Really super cute coat. This lady is looking fabulous in her pill box hat, coat and gloves. I'm a huge fan of glamorous looks like this. This pattern is copyright 1961. I bet this lady is wearing purl earrings. I would be with this ensemble!

This pattern is very similar to Butterick 8367. I definitely prefer the sleeves in this one over the puff sleeves on 8367, but not over the sleeveless version of 8367. It's very cute and "Sew Easy!" Mine is a size 14. I love the tiered skirt, this looks like a very fun day dress. The lady in the teal dress loves dancing around in hers. Bangle bracelets seem to be required for wearing this dress as well. This will definitely need a crinoline, so probably more of a early spring/late fall kind of dress down here in GA.

Simplicity 3745. Very cute blouse pattern. Wish it came with the shorts view 2 is wearing, but it's just the blouse. Not quite sure how I feel about view 5's duel color blouse there. It might be a little too tacky for me, but view 4 looks like she's going to go have a great time at the beach. Awesome, I like the beach and wearing sunglasses too. We totally have something in common. Looks like this comes with three collar styles and two sleeve styles. This I won't be making. It's a 36 bust, about two sizes too big for me. It's a little sad, but hopefully someone else will be able to enjoy this great pattern.

And last, but not least is Simplicity 2549. Sooooo cute. My pattern envelope is in much better shape than this one that I grabbed from the wiki. Mine also comes in size 14 bust 34 flavor. Cute dress with two different skirt options. I'm picturing making this in some sort of black silky/satiny fabric with a contrasting white collar. I think that would be very very fab. The pattern would need a little alteration, but that's what muslin is for.





Next post: The new challenge and a blog name change. My Beau has issued me a challenge and I'm always up for a challenge. This is a good challenge, a crafty challenge, a challenge that allows for a lot of jersey. Stay tuned for an update on blog changes!