The Last Shift
By: Carrington Bowles Published: 1792 Clothing in text: Shift/Chemise Note the scattered clothing around the room, the prostitute nearly naked as her only shift is submerged in water. Social Commentary:
Considered the most basic piece of the 18th century wardrobe, the shift or chemise functions as the foundation, the very first layer of clothing. In this scene, a young prostitute cleans her only undergarment. Women general owned several with varying degrees of decoration; the fact that she does not own a second shift shows her lack of funds. The shift also represents a form of currency, of activity in the economic sphere now available to England, according to Sewall: "Because they were less expensive than silk or wool, the demand for fashionable cottons was particularly democratic. The market for cotton textiles spanned the gamut from highly fashionable and exquisitely printed cloths to rough and cheap fustians worn by the poor" (Sewall 107). In one scene, both the economic and social status is conveyed through this representation of 18th century print culture. |
Other Clothing Reference:
Stays/Corset
Stockings
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