Galerie des Modes, 48e Cahier, 5e Figure

The brilliant Nymph of the Palais Royal offering to the eyes of the public the charms of her figure and the elegance of her shape which attracts to her the most merited praises: she is coiffed à la Suzanne with a juste à la Figaro. (1785)

Palais Royal. - "There one can see everything, hear everything, know everything; there is plenty to do for a young man who is a little learned in detail; but that is also where the empire of debauchery is on an unbridled youth which, then widespread in society, walks there with a ton which is unknown elsewhere, indecency without passion.  Debauchery is eternal there; in each hour of the day and night, its temple is open, and at all sorts of prices."

S. MERCIER, Tableau de Paris, 1783

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Galerie des Modes, 48e Cahier, 2e Figure

The young Sophie showing to her favorite the rendez-vous of the pleasures at the Théâtre des Variétés amusants: to enjoy this brilliant Spectacle: she is dressed in a juste à la Suzanne from Figaro, striped petticoat, muslin apron and coiffed with a hat à la Defrozier. (1785)

The Théâtre des Variétés amusants was founded by Louis Lecluze du Tilloy at the new St Laurent fair, August 30, 1778.  This fair was held on the boulevards, between the rue du Fauberg-Saint-Martin and that of Faubourg-Saint-Denis, from June 28 to September 19.

Lecluze did not make brilliant business.  To the contrary, his successors managed to attract the public, whether in the hall that they constructed on the site of the fair in 1779, or in those that they occupied in the winter at the Saint-Germain fair.

The Opera being installed on the boulevard Saint-Martin caused the closing of the Variétés on the days when they themselves put on shows.  Also, after having had a hall in the rue de Bondy, the Variétés were installed  at the Palais Royal on January 1, 1785.  They occupied first a provisional hall, then on May 15, 1790, under the name of theater of the Palais Royal they took possession of the hall constructed by Louis and which would later become the theater of the Comédie-Française.

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Galerie des Modes, 44e Cahier, 2e Figure

The tiresome Finette, in a Juste à la Suzanne and coiffed en Figaro, holding with as much skill as negligence a country rose which is intended to please her. (1784)

Here is the costume of Mlle Contat who played the role of Suzanne in the Marriage of Figaro:

"Her dress for the first four acts is a white juste with basquines,* very elegant, the petticoat of the same, with a toque called, ever since, à la Suzanne.  In the party of the fourth act, the count puts on her head a toque with a long veil, with high plumes, and white ribbons.  She wears in the fifth act her mistress's lévite and no ornament on her head."

* Long basques; especially associated with Spain.

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Galerie des Modes, 23e Cahier, 5e Figure

Elegant Cauchoise in the costume of her country; she wears a peasant juste trimmed with a flounce, in pink taffeta; petticoat of the same material, apron of clear muslin. (1779)

DESHABILLÉ A LA CAUCHOISE.  The Pays de Caux, in Haute-Normandy, which contains the kingdom of Yvetot, is renowned for being inhabited by beautiful Women.  The fact, is it true?  The Women of this country, should they not have this reputation for dress, which is particular to them, and which passes to be very-galant?  That is not the question examined here.  We observe only that these Women are known as Cauchoises, and their dress as Cauchois or Cauchoise Dress.

We could, later, engrave this dress.  About that which the figure represents, it is a fantasy Deshabillé; the two hanging lappets of the Coiffure are the only object which has some rapport with the dress of the real Cauchoises.

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Galerie des Modes, 8e Cahier, 5e Figure

Cook, newly arrived from the Provinces, who is beginning to take on the elegant airs of Paris. (1778)

Cook, newly arrived from the Provinces, and who is beginning to take on the elegant tone of Paris.

She is dressed in a fitted casaquin* with sleeves pulled up en pagode with a ribbon and trimmed with a gathered band.

Her headdress is a Bastienne, or a round cap with lappets; a petticoat without trim and a linen apron are the remains of her simple state, but already the muslin kerchief is trimmed and open over her chest, and the chignon seems to be accompanied by a finger curl, with a little favori before the ear.  Coquetry gradually expands over her from head to toe.

* Defined as a "short coat"; given the context of later plates, I believe a casaquin is a fitted jacket and a caraco is not very fitted - at this point in time.

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Dutch Jacket

Many, many thanks to KittyCalash for posting her latest article, Dutch Treat.  Back in May, I was looking into the caraco as a result of seeing it defended as accurate for Revolutionary War contexts on the basis of a single extant example in the Snowshill Collection.  I came to the conclusion that whatever the item was, it wasn't called a caraco, and that it didn't seem likely to be widely worn in America or Britain.

KittyCalash found two runaway notices mentioning Dutch women running away in "Dutch jackets".  (I really need to get one or two of the runaway notice books, or figure out some way to access American newspapers online without paying for a really expensive subscription.)  I can find other references to Dutch jackets that imply a couple of different garments:

- Several modern sources describe the 17th century coat often seen in Vermeer's works as a "Dutch jacket".  This probably isn't relevant at all.

Woman Holding a Balance, Johannes Vermeer, ca. 1664; National Gallery of Art 1942.9.97

- In a runaway notice from 1750, the Dutch jacket is sleeveless and worn by a Dutch man under a jacket as a waistcoat.

It seems quite possible to me that the "caraco" was called a Dutch jacket in America, and tended to be worn only or mainly by Dutch immigrants.  Perhaps there were specific male and female versions?  I'm not going to insist on the term in any academic context, probably, but in general this seems like a much better turn to use instead of caraco.

ETA: As Sharon Burnston pointed out on Kitty's post, though, it must be remembered that "Dutch" also meant "German" at the time.

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The Caraco, Pt II

In my previous post on the caraco, I discovered that all of the French fashion plates labeled caraco in the Boston MFA depicted short jackets.  However, more research was needed, as French and English terms do not always or often line up.  This time, I decided to look at English sources.

Walker's Hibernian Magazine, 1787

The New Ladies' Magazine, 1788

These are the two most explicit references I can find, and both refer to caracos as jackets.

The Town and Country Magazine, 1789

This selection describes a caraco with  lozenge-shaped skirts.  I'm not entirely sure what that would look like - checking the French fashion plates from my earlier post, I don't see anything I would describe that way - but I can't see how the traditional "caraco" could be described as having lozenge-shaped skirts, either. 

 The Lady's Magazine, 1789

It should also be noted that the third and fourth selections describe a garment worn over a stomacher, even as late as 1789 when those were no longer worn with gowns, while the few extant examples used to justify the garment (as well as the patterns) have built in false stomachers, or close at the center front.

There is also the issue that the earliest references I can find to the caraco in English are in the late 1780s, and there the term is defined, as though it was not known previously.  This makes it unlikely that women were wearing any garment they called a caraco during the Revolutionary War period.

 The Road to Ruin, Thomas Holcroft, 1792

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I am not entirely opposed to the item of clothing called a caraco in reenactor parlance.  I have not yet found an image of an American (or English) woman wearing a knee-length fitted gown, but this may mean I just haven't found one yet.  If you know of one, please tell me where it is!  I am simply opposing the use of the term "caraco" to describe it, because there doesn't seem to be any evidence that it was used that way.  Even the Colonial Williamsburg Collection's database refers to their (apparently) single example of this type of clothing (2006-42) as a "long jacket or gown with short skirt" - and, it should be noted, it is labeled "European".

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