Bourne Archive: House of Worth: Chronology
http://boar.org.uk/oriwxs5CFWorth(chron.htm
Latest edit 31 May 2011.
©2008 R.J.PENHEY
Bourne
Archive
Bourne
History
The Career of Charles
Frederick Worth
Chronology of Dates and Events
The purpose
of this page is to bring notes together from various sources to show any
patterns of activity of which each detail may form a part.
Go
to: - References Chronology Years:
1820s 1830s 1840s 1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s
The letters in bold refer to the
following references (Figures quoted are page numbers.):
(Webcite) is the archived
version of the same page.
B Birkbeck, J.D., A
History of Bourne, (1976)
DM de Marly,
Diana, Worth Father of Haute Couture. (1980) ISBN 0-241-10304-5
EB Encyclopaedia Britannica (1962)
FNQ Sweeting, W.D. ed., Fenland Notes and Queries (late
nineteenth century periodical) number quoted is that of the article rather
than the page.
GG Gullickson, Gay L. Unruly Women of
IF Idea Finder
web page
(Webcite)
IS
International Sewing Machine Collectors’ Society web page (Webcite)
JD Davies, J.J., Historic Bourne and the Surrounding
District, including an account of
JR Je Reviens web site time line.
L e-mail from
Pauline Rushton, Curator of Costume and Textiles.
Accession number and description of reserve stock in the Decorative Arts
Department of Merseyside Museums.
MP Mode à
OED Oxford English Dictionary. Online edn.,
unless marked ‘printed’ when it is ISBN 0-19-861212-5
P Palmer, A. & V., The Chronology of British History from 250,000 BC
to the Present Day. (1992) ISBN 0-7126-2173-3
VA Victoria and Albert Museum web site. Time line.
WD Parson,
William ed. The
History and Directory of the County of Lincoln etc. (White’s Directory of
WH Wake House History
web page.
The bold letters are followed by the relevant page numbers.
Click on the thumbnail
pictures for links to enlargements (mostly on other web sites).
The Chronology
1790 to 1819 The fashions.
1816
WH William Worth married Ann Quincy
and then or soon after, moved into Wake House.
1820s The fashions of the
decade.
1821
DM 31: Otto Gustaf Bobergh was born in
May 5 P 252: Napoleon Bonaparte died on
1824
W The
National Gallery was founded.
1825
Aug DM 23: Marie Augustine Vernet
was born (apparently at
Oct 13 VA Charles Frederick Worth was born
in Bourne,
13 WH Charles
Worth born at Wake House
1826
WD
91: William Worth listed in
Bourne, by White’s Directory, as attorney and as agent for Atlas Insurance.
from DM 86: Ankle-length skirts went out of fashion
for 30 years.
Jul 26-29 P 257: Revolution in
1830
by OED Crinoline used for making shoes
and bonnets. (quoting ‘World of Fashion’ August p.
180)
IS Barthelemy Thimonnier
was granted a patent by the French government, for his sewing machine.
Aug OED Crinoline
now offered as a material for dresses. (quoting ‘World of Fashion’ August p. 180)
1830s The
fashions of the decade.
DM 9: Very
large sleeves in fashion.
JD 32: Charles
Worth was educated at Bourne
‘Grammar School under Rev. Walter Scott’.
1833 IS : In America,
Walter Hunt invented a sewing machine using lock-stitch.
1836 DM 2: William Worth’s bankruptcy.
WH William Worth left his family.
1838
JD 32: At
thirteen Charles was working as a printer.
JD 32: Charles
moved to ‘Marshall & Snelgrove,
(some say Swan & Edgar)’.
DM 8: National
Gallery established in
Easter DM 4: Apprenticeship with Swan and Edgar
began.
1840
B 89: Wake
House was in the tenure of G.W. Willders, solicitor.
1840s The fashions of the
decade.
DM 15: The fashionable look was for ladies to
appear demure, in sombre colours and with downcast heads. The clothes were
designed to make them inactive.
DM 75: At
this time a crinoline was a horsehair petticoat. (Warp of linen and woof of
horsehair. OED printed)
1844
IS In
IS
In
1845
DM 6: Apprenticeship
with Swan and Edgar completed.
DM 6: Worth
moved to Lewis and Allenby, the Court mercers.
Sep 22 IF Howe’s sewing machine patent filed
Jul 19 P 267: Maiden voyage of SS Great Britain. (Transatlantic
steamships permitted a more ready market in the
Winter DM 11: Worth, aged a little over twenty, left
from
1846
in EB Worth: Having been apprenticed with Swan & Edgar,
Worth moved to
by B 89: Worth
had moved to
from JD 33: Worth
was considerate of the welfare of employees.
in DM 14: Worth
obtained employment in a dry goods shop.
HM Worth’s first employment in
Sep 10 IF Howe’s
sewing machine patent granted
1847
late DM 14-15: Worth
employed by Gagelin, 83 Rue Richelieu.
1848
DM 115: The
Pre-Raphaelite
Brotherhood was founded. It led to the Aesthetic movement.
Feb 22 P 270: Republican revolution in
24 DM 15: French throne
burned, Louis Philippe having fled to
May DM 15-16:
1849
early DM 16: Louis
Napoleon elected President.
1850
OED Crinoline hats worn to the opera.
(quoting ‘Harper’s
around DM 24: Fashionable
dresses were very fussy, with layers of frills and flounces.
from DM 25: Worth put together
his observations of the techniques of others to develop a dressmaking business
at Gagelin, beginning by dressing Marie Vernet for modelling textiles and accessories.
1850s The fashions of the decade.
DM 75: The
demand was for crinoline skirts to be wider.
DM 77: The
cage-supported skirt developed. It freed the woman’s legs from the need to
struggle against voluminous stiff petticoats.
1851
B 89: G.W. Willders,
business successor of William Worth, died.
DM 30: The House of Gagelin
was bought out and its name changed to Opigez & Chazelle.
DM 26: Opigez & Chazelle won a gold medal in class 336 of the Great
Exhibition,
May 1 P 272: Queen
Jun 21 DM 26: Charles
Frederick Worth and Marie Augustine Vernet were
married.
Oct 15 P 272: The
Great Exhibition closed.
Dec 2 P 273: The President of the
1852
DM 2: William Worth’s legal firm sold to Mr.
Andrews, whose firm later became Andrews, Stanton and Ringrose.
P 273: Samuel Beeton
published The Englishwoman’s Domestic
Magazine. Each issue contained a dress pattern which stimulated interest in
home dressmaking in
Dec 2 P 273: The Second French Empire was established,
under Louis Napoleon.
DM 17: The consolidation of the Empire required
many grand occasions in
DM 18: Baron Haussmann was set to re-planning
the city. The new developments meant that most people had to live away from
their work. In wider
1853
B 89: Wake House was bought by S.W. Andrews
whose firm became Andrews, Stanton and Ringrose.
Jan DM 20: Napoleon III married Eugénie,
a countess of Scottish-Spanish descent. Gagelin
supplied cloth for her trousseau. Eugénie’s
dressmakers were Mesdames Vignon and Palmyre but Worth had contributed his competence in the
selection of cloths.
DM 21: Eugénie added
elegance and glamour to
DM 22: Lavish spending came to be expected. Worth’s opportunity was taking shape.
Nov 5 DM 30: Gaston Lucien Worth was born.
1854
by DM 75: Horsehair crinoline petticoats were
augmented and replaced by whalebone-stiffened frames.
Sep 14 P 274: Franco-British
landing in The Crimea, leading to the Siege of Sevastopol.
1855
Eugénie and the court ladies before Worth dressed them
Wikipedia
B 89: An example of Worth’s work was shown at
the Paris
Exposition.
DM 29: Worth’s embroidered court train won a
first prize in Class 25, at the Paris Exposition.
DM 19: State visits were exchanged between
by DM 30: The name of the former House of Gagelin changed again: to Opigez
& Gagelin.
about DM 31: Bobergh, having
worked in clothing shops in
in DM 89: A vogue for sun hats at the seaside.
DM 116: Mary Merrifield objected to the way
15 May W The
first of the Paris
Aug
18-27 P 275: Queen
15 Nov W The Universal Exhibiton, on the Champs Elysées
closed.
mid 1850s
DM 19:
1856
DM 75: Eugénie first wore a cage crinoline when expecting the Prince Imperial’s birth.
DM 30: Jean-Philippe Worth was born.
by DM 75: Wide skirts supported by steel frames
were introduced. They are known as cage-crinolines.
Mar 16 W The Prince Imperial was born.
1857
P 278: The cage crinoline came to
Apr 27
1858
DM 15: Worth left Gagelin.
VA The
Worth-Bobergh house founded by Charles Worth and Otto
Bobergh at 7 Rue de la Paix,
DM 32: Worth & Bobergh
opened with a staff of twenty seamstresses. 7 Rue de la Paix.
1859
DM 89: Longchamp
racecourse opened.
Dec DM 35: Prince Richard von Metternich was sent by
1860
by B 89: William Worth had returned to
around B 89: (or a little later) William Worth was
again living in Bourne.
DM 149: Worth et Bobergh received the Imperial warrant.
DM 209: By this time, Worth was using the expression
‘avoir du chic’.
early DM 37: Marie Worth was sent to solicit
dressmaking business from Princess Pauline von Metternich. This
resulted in Worth’s entrée into court dressmaking for the Empress’
wardrobe.
DM 38-40:
Worth’s business at court rapidly grew and he was in a position to influence
trade in favour of suitable textile producers.
DM 40: Following Worth’s suggestion, the empress
often wore thick material of Lyon manufacture, braids and fringes in order to support
the trade of the Lyonnais
and similar areas such as Valenciennes and Chantilly, hence support
for the emperor in the relevant regions.
Jan 23 P 281: Free
trade treaty negotiated between
May 11 W Garibaldi
landed in
DM 94: Garibaldi’s
campaign led to the wearing of red shirts and pill-box hats. The shirt and
skirt combination became an alternative to the dress.
1860s The fashions of the
decade.
DM 113: Spangled tulle on a fundamentally
simple design was among Worth’s characteristics. [more
detailed information on tulle (French language)]
1861
DM 112: Winterhalter made
a portrait of Princess von Metternich in a tulle Worth
ballgown.
May 17-24 P 282: Thomas Cook’s first continental holiday
tour: six days in
1862
Sep 22 P 284:
1863
DM 85: Worth began exploring the possibility of a
dress with no waistline seam.
DM 86: Following a request from Eugénie, Worth began raising the hem-line of day dresses to clear
the dirt of the ground. A rise of 10 cm removed the problem while keeping
ankles out of sight. Marie Worth pioneered it.
DM 87: Worth introduced the hat as opposed to
the bonnet, which in one form or another had been in vogue since the 179os.
DM 105: Charles Dickens, the journalist made his
first report on the Worth firm.
Mar 23 Harper’s Weekly: A newspaper illustration
of the ballroom at the Tuileries. Scroll down for the picture then
click on ‘next page’ for the text.
1864
DM 198: Worth acquired the site for his house at Suresnes.
DM 81: Worth saw that the diameter of cage skirts
was becoming ridiculous and began seeking ways of removing the skirt’s extent
from the front and sides.
Apr DM 87: The shortened walking dresses were common
enough for Le Charivari to be joking
that the street cleaners were no longer having the streets swept for them.
1865
Wikipedia
DM 80: Procurator-General Dupin
was campaigning against the fashion for extensive skirts.
DM 104: Marie Worth gave up modelling after an
attack of bronchitis.
1866
DM 91: The tunic dress was first seen.
DM 101: Lewis & Allenby, in
1867
VA Worth
dressed princesses, heiresses actresses and courtesans.
DM 95: Harper’s Bazaar first published.
DM 102: The French government noted the ‘the growing
use of the sewing machine’.
W Elias Howe, sewing machine
inventor, awarded the French Legion d’honneur.
June DM 152: The Empress of Austria Hungary’s Hungarian
coronation dress a great triumph.
1868
by OED The
term, ‘crinoline’ had been applied to wire stiffening. (quoting
Rogers Political Economy viii, 3rd edn. p.
78)
DM 91: Worth introduced the puff skirt and did
away with the crinoline.
MP La Chambre Syndicale
de la Haute Couture was founded.
1869
DM 93: Worth drew his Josephine design from that
of the 1690s in which the rear of the skirt was supported by a cul de crin. He raised
the waist use a small cage bustle instead of the horsehair.
DM 142: Worth introduced the Bustle.
P 291: Women’s skirts began to be bunched up at the
back. Light coloured parasols were popular.
DM 95: Worth’s ‘Blue Dress’ design was stolen.
DM 96: The Englishmen, Poole and Smallpage attempted to emulate Worth in
Jul P 291: Napoleon III introduced a parliamentary
system, ‘the Liberal Empire’.
Nov 17
1870
DM 101: Worth and Bobergh
employed 1,200 seamstresses.
DM 39: The Worth and Bobergh
Imperial Appointment came to an end with the end of the
DM 126: During the siege of Paris, Camille
Corot taught artistic skills to Jean-Philippe.
Jul 19 P 292: French
Empire declared war
on
Sep DM 125: Bobergh withdrew from the partnership and returned to
2 DM 121: The Emperor was captured by the Prussians
at
3 P 292:
1870s The fashions of the
decade.
DM 85: Worth introduced the
seamless waist, following original experiments in the 1860s.
DM 85: Worth developed matching
separates in this period. Typically, a dress and cape.
1871
VA Business
reopened under the
Jan DM 126:
18 P 294: Kaiser Wilhelm I proclaimed Emperor of
Germany at
Mar DM 128: The Worth business reopened.
18 P 294:
GG 24: The Revolution began in the early hours.
Mar 23 DM 128: Lillie
Moulton of the
GG 67: Massacre of the Rue de la Paix. Witnessed by Worth (DM p.128)
DM 128: Worth withdrew his family to Le Harvre.
May 10 P 294: Franco-German
peace treaty of
23 DM 129: The Tuileries
Palace, scene of the
28 P 294:
Jun DM 130: The Worths returned
to
DM 130: The Metternichs
returned to
Aug late DM 205: Members
of Worth’s
DM 131: F.
Adolphus of Blackwood’s Magazine
visited Worth at Suresnes for a report on the
economic state of
Dec DM 130: Metternich rejected as Austrian ambassador.
1872
DM 131: Worth was now independent of a need to
comply with court rules.
Jan DM 130: Metternich left
11 DM 136: Rue de la Paix
again clogged by the carriages of smart visitors to Maison
Worth.
Apr 24 DM 140: Worth
had embraced house interior decoration.
1873
P 296: Women’s fashion favoured long sleeves and
draperies, a bustle, small hats with a veil, high necks and gloves.
DM 142: Worth introduced the fan train.
Jan 9 P 295: Napoleon III died at
May 24 EB vol14 594: Thiers resigned as President of France.
Mac-Mahon elected.
1874 JR Gaston
and Jean-Philippe formally entered the business. Gaston introduced formal
bookkeeping to the business.
DM 141: Gaston
and Jean-Philippe formally entered the business; Gaston helping with management
and finance and Jean-Philippe assisting with design.
DM 143: Narrower dress line introduced.
P 297: First Impressionist exhibition in
DM 201: Lord Lytton, British Ambassador, began
visiting the Suresnes house for tea.
DM 91: Worth began to supersede the tunic dress.
1875
Wikipedia
DM 144: The narrower line developed into the Princess
line.
1877
DM 137: Frances Pierpoint
Morgan came to Worth and was a regular customer thereafter. Once the lady’s
dimensions were recorded, trust in Worth’s judgement meant that dresses could
be shipped to
1878
DM 137: The Paris Exhibition drew numerous fine
ladies to
DM 205: William Worth died.
1879
May 9 DM 140: Worth
was producing maternity wear.
1880
DM 110: Worth’s reputation entered literature, in
Frances Hodgson Burnett’s
1880s The fashions of the
decade.
HM A visiting dress.
late DM 190: Bright
colour contrasts were all the rage.
1882
DM 96: There
was a corsteière in
Jan 29 DM 126: Otto Bobergh died.
Sep 9 DM 200: Princesse
Mathilde took Edmond de Goncourt
with her on a visit to Worth’s house.
1884
P 310: Bustles
were at their fullest extent.
1885
DM 204: Worth
holidayed in the
1887
DM 188: Worth
began routinely to allow illustrations of his designs to appear in magazines so
that potential customers abroad might see them more readily.
1890
by P 310: Bustles
out of fashion.
1890s The fashions of the
decade.
DM 190: Worth sobered the bright colour contrasts of
the late 1880s.
early DM 193: Worth
worked on designing relatively seamless dresses: using such cloth as elasticated wool and cutting on the bias. Such garments
still needed a firm foundation.
1891
from DM 194: Worth
began exploring bias-cut designs.
Apr 1 P 319: Public telephone link between
1893-95
ca. L 60.177.1:
Dinner gown of salmon pink velvet, a separate bodice and skirt, the bodice
dress-band labelled Worth,
L 60.177.2: Dinner gown of turquoise green
satin, silk chiffon and net, a separate bodice and skirt, no label but believed
to be by Worth.
1894
P 322: Aubrey
Beardsley designed and illustrated the magazine, The Yellow Book.
1895
VA Charles
Worth died. His sons, Jean-Philippe and Gaston, took over as house designers.
Gaston became the first president of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute
Couture Française.
JD 34: Funeral
with civic magnificence, attended by the Mayor of Paris and the President of
the Republic.
DM 206: At
the time of his funeral there were very many expressions of sorrow from empresses,
seamstresses and may others.
Feb
late DM 205: Worth wintered in the south and returned to
Mar 10 W Charles
Frederick Worth died.
12 FNQ 518: Daily Telegraph obituary.
1897 ca.
VA Evening
dress: Museum No. T.433.1977 made.
1900 ca.
VA Ball
gown, Museum No. T.459 to B.1974 was made. It was worn by Princess Nicholas of
1900s The fashions of the decade.
1901
P 331: Emphasis
on femininity in women’s dress: full-bosomed, wasp-waisted, light fabrics with
much lace and floral hats, often with veils.
VA Paul
Poiret was engaged to design dresses along simpler
lines.
1903
Oct 10 P 334: Emeline Pankhurst
founded the Women’s Social and Political Union.
1905-08
ca. L 1961.246.11: Evening coat of midnight blue velvet, the original
sable collar and cuffs now removed, labelled Worth.
1908
May-Oct P 341: Franco-British Exhibition staged at
1908-10 L 1961.246.7:
Princess-line evening dress of pink silk satin, the dress-band labelled Worth.
1910
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
VA Gaston’s
son, Jean-Charles Worth took over as creative director. His brother, Jacques
became financial director.
1910 ca.
VA Evening dress, Museum no.
T.57-1961 was made.
1910s The
fashions of the decade.
1911
VA The
1911-13
ca. L 1961.246.8: Evening dress of sapphire blue silk velvet and silk georgette, a
separate bodice and skirt, the dress-band labelled Worth.
1912
P 347: American
ragtime was popular with the young.
1913
Wikipedia 
Wikipedia
P 349: Women’s
fashion became experimental. Frills and lace were discarded, hats had wide
brims, skirts were long but tight and restrictive at
the ankles. Hair was waved back to a bun and smart handbags were a feature.
1914
P 351:
1916
VA Elspeth
Champcommunal became editor of British Vogue.
1917
P 355: Women
factory workers were encouraged to have short hair as a safety measure.
‘Bobbed’ hair became widely accepted.
1920
P 359: Women’s dress
tubular, with breasts flattened and a mock waist at the hips.
DM 205: Empress
Eugénie died.
1920s The
fashions of the decade.
1921
P 361: Short
frocks, cloche hats, bobbed hair, and bare arms became fashionable.
1922
VA Elspeth
Champcommunal left the editorship of British Vogue.
1925
P 366: Women’s
skirts remained short, narrow and straight: much fur was used for outdoor
elegance.
1927
VA Jacques
Worth, the financial director of the Worth couture house became President of
the Chambre Syndicale.
P 369: Shingled
hair in fashion.
1930
VA Jacques
Worth left the presidency of the Chambre Syndicale.
1930s The fashions of the decade.
1933 VA Jacques
Worth returned as President of the Chambre Syndicale.
1935 VA Jean-Charles
Worth retired. Roger, son of Jacques Worth took over as Head of Design. His
brother, Maurice Worth managed the administration.
1935 VA Jacques
Worth left the presidency of the Chambre Syndicale.
1936 VA Reville Terry took over the London Branch and called it
Worth London.
1936 VA Elspeth
Champcommunal was employed as house designer.
1940 DM 208: The tomb of Charles
and Marie Worth at Suresnes, was destroyed by bombing.
1940s The
fashions of the decade 1941-45 1946-50.
1941 P 388: Terylene was developed as a synthetic polyester fabric.
1944 VA Hardy
Amies became a designer for Worth of London.
Aug 25 P 394: Charles de Gaule
entered liberated
1946 VA Sydney
Massin bought out and took over, Worth London.
1946 VA Elspeth
Champcommunal stayed on at Worth London as designer.
1947
Jun P 398: Christian Dior’s
‘New Look’ arrived in
1950 P 402: Women accepted
nylon as the basic material for stockings, underwear and blouses. Corduroy
returned to favour.
1950s The fashions of the decade.
1952 VA Roger Worth
retired.
1952 VA Maurice Worth
assumed complete control of the Worth couture house.
1954 VA Paris house of
Worth was taken over by Paquin.
1955 P 410: Fashion for
tight-fitting jeans for women spread from
1955 ca. VA Evening
dress, Museum No. T.214-1972 made.
1956 VA Paquin-Worth closed terminating the
Late VA Evening
dress and stole, Museum No. V&A: T.18:1,2-2006,
was made.
1960s The fashions of the
decade.
1963 P 421: The Beatles made
their first recording.
1965 P 424: Mini skirts came
to
1966 P 425:
1967 VA The
Worth London couture house closed.
Aug 31 P 427: ‘Festival of the Flower Children’ at
1970s The
fashions of the decade.
Go
to - Top of Page References Chronology Years:
1820s 1830s 1840s 1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s
Site home page Worth home page
