This page is more an online notebook for myself (known in the SCA as Herr Wilhelm von Pottruff, known in the regular world as Ross Weaver) to help me keep track of my historical clothing research. Please feel free to look around but be warned there is limited information in this site on how to make clothes that look like clothing in the pictures. The intent of this site is not to document how to make the garments in the pictures but to document the different garments and details about the clothing. Which makes it easier for me to find my documentation/research concerning the different garments when I start making plans to make something new.
Most images are from the Web Gallery of Art an amazing resource that we should all support.
Clothing Notes
The man in the sculpture can be seen wearing a shirt, doublet and a jerkin on his body and a hat on his head.
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done by an Austrian sculptor, in Vienna, so it is a good example of early 16th Century, Northern European clothes.
Shirt - The shirt has no collar and there is evidence of folds caused by the doublet over the shirt, not any gathering or pleating. The shirt is likely a large collarless shirt that gathers in under a doublet.
Doublet - Only the neck closure and a bit of the chest of the doublet is visible. The doublet is not closed tightly, it gaps open about 5 cm to show the shirt underneath. It is closed by a number of laces going from two lacing holes on the left to two lacing holes on the right and tied in a single bow.
Jerkin - The jerkin has long somewhat wide sleeves that taper at down to close to wrist diameter (lots of folds along the length). The collar is a wide squarish collar folded open to lie on top of the shoulders. The jerkin looks as if it closes near the waist to form a V-shaped opening over the doublet.
Hat - Low flat cap, somewhat a beret style. The cap comes out to form a 3-4 cm brim around the head. There is a brim folded up against the top all around the front at least (and I assume it continues all the way around the hat, circling it). There is a second brim, or something like a coif, that is a little floppy and starts at the temples and goes to the back of the head.
Clothing Notes
The man in the portrait can be seen wearing a shirt, doublet and a jerkin on his body and a hat on his head.
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done by a Dutch Painter, so it is a good example of early 16th Century, Northern European clothes.
Shirt - The white shirt has a collar with a ruffle, created by very tightly gathering the shirt into a band (which appears to be a ribbon) and leaving some of it extending beyond the band to form a gathered ruffle. No closure is visible on the neck, but it is fairly close fitting to the neck and therefore likely closes in the back or on a side.
Doublet - Only a bit of the black doublet is visible. It is open for the upper chest and neck, exposing the shirt and appears to scoop down into a V or an asymmetrical closure on the left.
Jerkin - The black jerkin has the front closure folded open to form a triangular collar, there are no visible closures for the front of the jerkin. It appears to have tabbed epaulettes at the shoulders (hard to see even in the large version). The front of the jerkin appears to be covered by a black stomacher or placket. There appears to be a black lacing point at the shoulder.
Clothing Notes
This painting displays the clothes of a working class man (front and center), an older working class woman (front and left), a younger working class woman (rear and right most) and a higher-class woman (rear, second from the right).
The man can be seen wearing a white shirt, cream doublet, and brown/grey jerkin on his torso. He is wearing brown/grey, large, wide trunks on his lower body and a black/dark brown hat on his head.
The older working class woman is wearing a smock, a brown sleeveless kirtle with red sleeves pinned to it, and a white partlet over her chest with a black partlet over it. On her head she is wearing a white cap/hood.
The younger working class woman can be sean wearing a smock, kirtle, apron, partlet, shoes and a cowl or cloak.
The higher-class woman can be seen wearing a smock, possibly a partlet, gown, forepart and a cloak or cowl.
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done by a Flemish Painter, born 1508, and died 1575. The painting is not dated but it is similar in style to other paintings the he did from 1551 to 1561 so I would say it is likely a good example of Northern European clothes in that time period.
Man
Shirt - The white shirt has a fold down collar with 90-degree corners. The edges of the collar are bound in black or embroidered black. Unfortunately this is all that is visible of the shirt.
Doublet - The arms, the chest and the neck of the cream doublet can be seen. The sleeves are full length, relatively close fitting, but not buttoned, the sleeve is loose enough that the hand can slip through. There neck has a fold over collar, longer than the shirt's but no special finish to the edge. There is no closure visible in the front of the doublet; it likely closes asymmetrically along the side.
Jerkin - The jerkin is a light brown colour with an off-white/grey lining. The shoulders of the jerkin come down the arm a bit with voluminous sleeves that end just below the elbow in a relatively close fitting cuff that is about 2 cm wide. The edge of the jerkin is decorated with fabric folded over and cut to form tabs. It appears that the jerkin is closed asymmetrically, with the right side folding over the left, with the opening angling from the neck to the left hip. I believe this because of two things: The right side of the front is tabbed, but not the left, which would be covered by the right side. As well there is a fair amount of extra fabric at the waist on the right side of the jerkin, which comes to a triangular point.
Trunks - Only a little bit of what may be trunks are visible covering the right leg. They are the same colour and fabric as the jerkin. They appear to be very voluminous but fairly basic, with no obvious gathering, or detail work.
Hat - The hat is a black floppyish cap with a brim and the main part of the hat is a rounded flat cap that is fairly high (say 15 cm)
Clothing Notes
This is a very significant image to me because it is one of the few images showing the men's underpants of the 16th century.
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done by a German Artist, so it is a good example of late 15th Century - early 16th Century, Northern European underclothes.
Underpants - The underpants consist of a pouch to hold the men's privates with a triangular shaped base. The upper corners of the triangle extend out as a cord or ribbon which ties at the side of the hip to a cord or ribbon coming from the back. The shape of the pouch is very reminiscent of the shape of a codpiece.
Clothing Notes
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done by a German Artist, so it is a good example of mid 16th Century, Northern European clothes.
Man
Hose, Hosen or Joined Hose - To me the visible detail of the joined hose is what makes this image significant, it is rare to be able to look at the hose from this angle. The hose are close fitting to the groom's legs, so we can clearly see the shape of the muscles in the calf and thigh. Seams are visible in the codpiece and at the crotch of the hose but no seam is visible on the front or sides of the legs, implying the seam is only at the back of the legs. The codpiece is a triangular shape, sewn with a seam in the middle such that it forms a pouch in the center. The codpiece starts between the legs (at least as far back as the start of the modern crotch seam) and ties at each of the upper corners to the hose at approximately where the leg joins the hip. The front seam curves up to the left side and is tied shut, possibly it overlaps the center front with a flap.
I found this image at http://www.lepg.org/gallery.htm. If anyone has a better source please let me know.
Clothing Notes
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done by a Flemish painter Joachim Beuckelaer, 1530-1575, nephew of Pieter Aertsen, lived his life in Antwerp. Being this genre painting is done by someone who lived in Antwerp and produced the painting there it is an excellent source of Flemish clothes documentation.
Clothing Notes
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done sometime on the 1560s by a Flemish Painter, born 1508, and died 1575, making this a good example of Northern European Renaissance clothes. For more information about the painting check out the summary on the painting at The Web Gallery of Art.
Clothing Notes
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done sometime in 1502 to 1507 by Michel Colombe, the four figures on the corners of the tomb (including this one) have been done in an Italian Gothic style, this figure characterizes Prudence. For more information about the painting check out the summary on the sculpture at The Web Gallery of Art.
Clothing Notes
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done by a German painter hans Wertinger, born 1465 in Landshut, died 1533 in Landshut.
Clothing Notes
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done by a Dutch Artist, so it is a good example of early 16th Century, Northern European clothes.
Clothing Notes
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done by a Dutch Artist, so it is a good example of early 16th Century, Northern European clothes.
Clothing Notes
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done by a Dutch Artist, so it is a good example of early 16th Century, Lower Class Northern European clothes.
Clothing Notes
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done by a Dutch Artist, so it is a good example of early 16th Century, Northern European clothes.
Clothing Notes
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done by a Venetian man, so it is a good example of early 16th Century, Southern European clothes.
Clothing Notes
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Nationality - The piece is done by a Juan Pantoja De La Cruz, b.1553 d.1608, a Spanish artist, of King Phillip II of Spain, b.1527 d.1598, so it is a good example of late 16th Century, Spainish clothes.
Clothing Notes
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done by Alessandro Araldi, b.1460 d.1530, an Italian artist, so it is a good example of early 16th Century, Southern European clothes.
Clothing Notes
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done by Cristoforo Solari, an Italian sculptor, active 1489-1520, so it is a good example of late 15th Century, Southern European clothes.
Clothing Notes
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done by Cornelis van Haarlem, also known as Cornelis Cornelisz, b.1562 d.1638, a Dutch painter, who painted this piece in 1591, so it is a good example of late 16th Century, Northern European clothes.
Clothing Notes
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done by Jan van Scorel, a Dutch painter, b.1495 d.1562, who studied and lived in Italy until he returned to the Netherlands in 1524. Therefore this is a biblical piece painted by a Dutch painter in Italy, therefore I would say it is an example of early 16th century Southern European clothes.
Clothing Notes
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done by Cornelis Ketel a Dutch painter, b.1548 d.1616. The portrait was done arround 1600 so it is a good example of late 16th Century, Northern European clothes.
I found this image at Tudor Portraits, http://www.tudor-portraits.com.
Clothing Notes
Details of Note
Nationality - The piece is done by an Unknown English Master in 1545. The portrait is of Catherine Parr, who was born in London in 1508, she lived her life in England and married King Henry VIII in 1543, making this an excellent source for mid-sixteenth century English upclass clothes.