A Bridal Trousseau

Among the papers laid between the leaves of Aunt Sophronia's Scrap-Book was a copy of a letter sent to Marry Smalley, a few months before her marriage. Mary seems to have asked Aunt Sophronia to suggest to her the items of a suitable trousseau. The paper is thus prefaced:

"Every bridal outfit should be limited and arranged to accord with the bride's means, the station which she expects to occupy in life, and the place where she is to live. You write me that you cannot afford a large outlay, that you are to marry a young farmer, and live in the country. Let me hint firs a few plain rules. Do not get so much clothing that it will lie in your bureau for years, turning yellow and getting out of fashion. Do not trim so delicately that the trimming will soon wear out, nor so elaborately that it will be troublesome to get your clothing properly laundried. For dresses, if you chose shades, and patterns, and materials, that are not striking or "novelties," your clothing will have really much more "style," and, also, will not nearly so soon become unusably out of fashion. For trimming white good tucks are always in correct taste, and do up nicely. You can now buy tucked muslin of any kind for trimming. Lace is a frail trimming, and needs very nice ironing; puffs are very hard to iron; ruffles are neat, durable, and not difficult. Embroidery is pretty and in good taste, but wears out with painful promptitude. Eight is a good number for all undergarments, if you seek a golden mean of neither too much nor too little. If you like unbleached wear, three sets round might be of that muslin. For style of making you might have two suits quite simply made, one quite richly, and five between those extremes. Have eight pair of assorted hose; one dozen handkerchiefs, four very nice, four common, and four medium. As you are going to housekeeping, have one dozen of aprons of all styles, sewing aprons with wide pockets, baking aprons, large sweeping aprons, fancy aprons, white morning aprons: you can soon arrange your dozen. Have one pair of fine shoes, one pair of slippers, and two pair of boots for house and walking. Do not forget gossamer cloak, overshoes, and umbrella. Of gloves at least six pair, light kid, dark kid, silk, and the other three as you prefer. Have a best bonnet, a traveling hat, a second best, and something fit for running out in the field or garden, or to see a neighbor. Remember that a toilette has no more valuable accessories than collars, cuffs, neck-ribbons, neckwear generally. Half the effect of a toilette is in dressing the neck. Have a warm, loose, double gown, of flannel or other woolen goods, fit to slip on quickly, if illness or any emergency in your household calls you up at night; also have a pretty dressing gown, if you should be half ill or sitting up convalescent. Have two dressing sacks, one of chintz, trimmed with a plain edge, one of flannel or canton flannel. Have two white and two gray or scarlet flannel petticoats, four or five long white skirts; a dark long skirt for wearing while at housework. Of dresses have one good black silk, one nice merino or cashmere, one nicely made lawn or linen. Have two dark ginghams or calicoes for working dresses, and something in medium color, of alpaca or other worsted goods, for spring and fall. If you are married in a dark wine, brown, or blue silk, you will then be pretty well furnished with dresses, and can add, as you are able, some others for afternoons or an evening dress, to suit your tastes and the time of year. A good shawl is a valuable part of a wardrobe; and you will have other outside wraps, as your purse, and the fashion, and season dictate. If I have made my list while not too large for convenience, too large for your means, reduce the sets of underclothing and hose to six, leave out two pair of gloves, four handkerchiefs, one or two of the skirts, one had, and one pair of books, and have only one silk dress. If you must study economy in your dresses, do not get plaid, checked, striped, or brocaded goods — they soon are out of style."

This paper seems to have been sent to Hester, in answer to a similar request, and has these remarks:

"As your means are not limited, and as the laundry work will not be a particular item in your calculations, you should have your undersuits all of fine white, trimmed with edgings, tucks, and ruffles, and make the number a dozen of each kinds. Of gloves, one dozen; of hose, two dozen, of handkerchiefs, two dozen; of assorted boots and shoes, six pair. You will want a handsome evening hat, a wrap suitable for concerts and lectures. You are to live in the city; you need two handsome walking suits, at least two evening dresses; you can exercise your taste more freely in getting dress goods that are the prevailing fashion, for as you go out more and have more company than if you were in the country, you will use up your gowns before they are outré. You need a rich and simple traveling costume; one or two waists of velvet or satin to vary your toilettes. You need several lace articles for neck and shoulders, according to the fashion, and two or three fans. It is not your disposition to be extravagant, and culture has taught you to be tasteful, so you may safely guide yourself without suggestion in the matter of the make, number, and material of your dresses."

From: The Complete Home: An Encyclopedia of Domestic Life and Affairs
by Julia McNair Wright
1879