msmcknittington | 1859 Mantle Pattern (Google Books) (Reply)

This post is really for my own reference than anything else, since I know I'm going to be too lazy to look this up again on Google Notebook.

So, I discovered last night that Google Books has a bunch of ladies' magazines and handwork manuals from the 19th century. I've saved many knitting/crocheting manuals to my library, which I've no idea how to link to. This might take you there. Most of them are from the 1840s, when there appears to have been a boom in the printing of handwork manuals. Surprise, surprise, one of the knitting patterns includes a gauge measurement. I gasped, and then promptly forgot what book it was out of.

Anyway, beneath the cut, find a pattern for a mantle from 1859, from "The What-not; or Ladies' handy-book."

EDIT: Found another fashion plate to share, this time of a "casaque pelisse." It's really more the hat that I was drawn to, which is pretty heavily decorated on the outside. She looks like she has spaniel ears!

The What-not; or Ladies' handy-book

The What-not; or Ladies' handy-book

The What-Not has some other fashion plates in it, too, but they're pretty spread out. The fashion sections are on pages 20, 41, 67, 91, 116, 137, 164, 188, 211 (or 215), 266, 290, and 314.