Nineteenth Century Tailoring

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the guiding principle of English style in tailoring became focused on the cut and fit. The general practice of cutting by patterns was realized to be inadequate and tailors searched for a system in which they could draft out garments which would fit well and still retain their style and elegance. This search lead to a revolution on the art of cutting, and was probably sparked by the invention of the tape measure early in this century.

Where exactly the tape measure came from is unknown, although there were several tailors who claimed to be its inventor. It was probably not until the second quarter of the century that the tape measure was generally accepted. The tape measure, a yard long and marked in inches, drew attention to the comparative relations that exist between the various parts of the body. It was found that the length to the waist was half, the chest width one third, the back one third, the scye one third, and the side length of the body one fourth of the breast measurement taken under the arms round the body. From these observations the tailor worked out the first simple drafting system and so began an entirely new approach to cutting based on the application of geometric rules and principles to the anatomical proportions of the human figure.

It is most interesting to find that early literature on tailoring is extremely rare which is what I had gathered, however this new approach brought tailors to print and create their own particular system. The earlier the patterns, the simpler they were as well as being so brief that is it almost impossible for anyone to gain if any information from them. Individual tailors would use their own methods that may have been personal to their own understanding, this would explain some of the period patterns which I have examined in the past as I have found them to be very difficult to interpret. However, tailors were slowly progressing and intelligent ones soon realized that the simple breast measure system was only suitable to well-proportioned figures, and that most cases additional measurements were necessary.

In the middle of the century, a much more serious study of the problem was undertaken by a German Mathematician, Dr. Henry Wampen who published The Mathematical Art of Cutting Garments According to the Different Formation of Men’s Bodies in 1834, as well as Mathematical Instructions in Constructing Models for Draping the Human Figure in 1863. These are rather like scientific textbooks than a suitable guide for tailors, however, a great part of the information it contained was of great value and could be applied to various systems. He also introduced the principle known as gradation.

The old system of cutting from patterns continued but the pattern blocks were now drafted from some basic system and adapted to the measurement and anatomy of the individual customer. For wholesale mass production these patterns were scaled to suit the main figure types. This method is also suitable for historical costume cutting for theatre. Even though much progress has been made, no system in unfaultable as the human body varies infinitely structurally and mathematically which is still a challenge to the tailors skill.

“Observe a man well before measuring him.”

-       M. Boullay

Cutting out a garment may be the most important part, but it is not the whole art of tailoring. The putting together of a garment  - the layers of interlinings, padding, pressing, sewing is sometimes not fully appreciated by the client, whose incredible structure and posture are often provided by the tailor’s canvas and wadding.

The scientific approach has made tailoring a highly skilled profession, and the various systems, which have been published from the early nineteenth century down to the present day made such a technical reading that they can only be appreciated by the trained specialist.

The History of the Art of Cutting in England by Edward B. Giles is a book that I will have to research in to in future as it focuses on early drafting methods, and the development and evolution of various systems from early literature on tailoring. It is apparent to me that since the second half of the nineteenth century there has been a continuous stream of trade journals and books on tailoring, and is more easily accessible than before the period in time.

This development of the ancient craft of tailoring has nowadays lead to the mass production of well-cut, well-fitted and well-made clothes making them available to a vast public. The skills of the tailor has now reached such an extremely high technical level that is more along the lines of mathematics than inventive artistry.