Ladies' Belts

Building on the separates post (though you can also wear them with dresses): belts, girdles, corslets, corsages*, sashes, waists, waistbands, ceintures... there are a number of different decorative over-garments worn at the waist in the 1860s, and an even larger number of names for them.  For added confusion, many of the names are used interchangeably.  Nonetheless, let's check out a few.

First, the narrow belt.  At it's simplest, this is a plain band of ribbon worn around the waist, possibly fastening with a buckle or clasp.  The examples below are all around 2.5" wide, except for the mother of pearl one, which is 1.5".  Notice the different types of buckles: there are two-piece versions which hook together, pronged buckles, and solid "slide" styles available.  

Ribbon belt with two piece clasp, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Belt clasp, c. 1850-70.
From Historic New England.

Buckle with 3 prongs, c. 1861-5
From Historic New England.

Mother of pearl belt slide, c. 1830-50. Historic New England

A more structured "belt" (also styled as a "waistband"/"waist" or "corselet") consists of silk or velvet over a stiff fabric such as buckram.  These belts may also have boning to help the points lie flat. Various styles are possible, including one, two, or three points up or down at the front; the "waist"may also have back points.  It can fasten with hooks and eyes or laces at the side or at the back (or even lace up the front).

Silk belt, 1860s, from the Met

Peterson's, May 1862

"Mauve silk corselet trimmed with lace",
worn over a white muslin body and a muslin tunic.
Le Follet, 1863

"Swiss Waists", "Medici girdles" and "Medici Belts" are more names for this garment (or similar ones).  A Swiss waist, corselet or corsage may also be substantially larger: while a 'belt' or 'girdle' is usually entirely below the bust, some of these latter garments may reach up to or over that point--closer to a low-cut second bodice than a 'belt'.

Waistband and diagram, Godey's, 1862.

An original "Swiss Waist" with front and back points (and close-up images of construction details!) is posted on The Fashionable Past. The Graceful Lady also has various original corslets, not to mention CDVs showing them worn: over dresses, with matching skirts over white waists, or with contrasting skirts and bodies.

"The Russian, Swiss, and Medici Waistbands are worn more than ever. Some are plain, some stitched in colored silk, others embroidered with silk, braid, etc. The long sashes, tied at the side, and generally black, are also embroidered with a design to match the dress they accompany. These sashes, edged with a fluting or a row of lace, with braces and pocket trimmings to match, are in great vogue, and, especially when adopted to muslin chemisettes, are extremely pretty for very young ladies." --Peterson's, March 1862

"Medici girdle or waistband" and braces in black velvet
and lace; matching cuffs and a bow are also given. The
girdle may be laced up the back or hooked at the sides.
Peterson's, March 1862

The braces or bretelles mentioned above are the shoulder straps.  They're especially common on children's and young women's accessories.

The Lesson (1861) by Jules Trayer

Girdles are another name for the pointed belts discussed above, though the term seems to be applied to a wider variety of shapes, such as this rounded one:

Girdle, The Lady's Friend, 1864

Back View

Sashes and scarves are distinguished by their long, trailing tails.  In addition to naming the flowing ribbons sometimes affixed to girdles/waistbands, a sash could also be a garment in its own right. These typically have very long, rounded tails, and may have a bow at the waist.  Scarves, likewise, can also refer to various cloths worn at the neck.

Mauve silk sash worn over a sheer white dress.
Mrs. Margaret Hicks (1861) by Sir Francis Grant

Sash with bow, Peterson's, February 1862

Scarf ceinture or 'girdle' with velvet applique  and runched ribbon trim (left);
plaid tafetta sash with Greek fringe (matching cover comb in hair).
Both worn with evening dresses. Godey's, February 1861.

Though perhaps less common in the period than in current reenacting circles, some functional ornaments could be hung from the belt.  The chatelaine or necessaire is a set of chains or ribbons from which useful and decorative tools could be hung: scissors, keys, small pencils, sewing supplies, etc.

Cut steel chatelaine, c. 1850. VAM.

Lady's Necessaire, Peterson's 1862

There was also a fad around 1861 for "girdle pockets" or "waist-pouches"--often elaborately embroidered or appliqued, and decorated with tassels--which could hold one's porte monaie and handkerchief.

Waist-pouches, Peterson's, September 1861

*Corsage can also just mean "bodice".

The Language of Flowers

Bored with roses? Want to make a more complicated statement?

The Illustrated Language of Flowers (1856), contains all the Victorian lore needed to design a bouquet which exactly expresses your feelings.  Try four-leaved clovers ("be mine"), white dittany of Crete ("passion"), glory flower ("glorious beauty"), and red tulip ("declaration of love").

Or perhaps a combination of common almond, yellow carnation, fuller's teasel, and basil is more appropriate (stupidity, disdain, misanthropy, and hatred).

And for those set on roses, there are 34 different types named, conveying meanings from "I am worthy of you" (white rose) to "war" (York-and-Lancaster rose).

Shorter works on the subject include The Language of Flowers: An Alphabet of Floral Emblems (1858) and The Flower Vase (1850). If you need fuller explanations of the meanings, and poetry to accompany, try The Language of Flowers: The Floral Offering (1851).

Events: Valentine's Tea, and Cupid's Ball

Double events on the Saturday before Valentine's.  In the afternoon, Fort Steilacoom held their annual "Mrs. Casey's Tea" fundraiser, which featured an auction of fancy goods, delicious tea and cakes, a display of antique quilts, and costumed reenactors portraying fort residents and visitors.

Tea tables in Quarters 2, just before the slide show of Victorian valentines.

Several members of the 4th proceeded to spend the evening dancing at Cupid's Ball, a period dinner and dance event hosted by Mrs. Keller-Scholz.  Mr., Mrs. and Miss Talbot danced much of the evening, as did Mr. Evans, and even Captain Jones joined in the terpsichorean exercises.

Dress Sleeves, early 1860s

Though I intended it to be a disambiguation of common sleeve terms ("What's meant by coat/pagoda/funnel/bishop sleeve?"), this post has grown into more of a gallery of sleeve options. Enjoy.  I should be taking a class on this topic at Symposium, so there may be revisions in the future.

"Long Sleeves have no particular form, but are varied according to the taste or fancy of the wearer and maker. They are, however, wide or half wide, rather than narrow, and end in a cuff in harmony with the rest of the trimming. Some are silt up in front, and trimmed all down the seam. Others are puffed and slashed; while others again have puffs at top and end in a very wide velvet wristband."--Peterson's, March 1862: 

The Basics
The major categories of sleeves for the 1860s are "long" and "short"; within the long-sleeves the major divisions are "open" (wide at the wrist, often worn over a white under-sleeve) and "closed" (fit to the wrist, either hemmed or set into a cuff, possibly with buttons at the wrist; removable white cuffs may be basted on the edge). Short sleeves may be full or narrow, but are primarily confined to children's and teen's dresses by the 1860s; short-sleeved adult dresses are generally for evening wear.

Long Open Sleeves
Pagoda: Not all open sleeves are pagoda sleeves.  A true pagoda sleeve is cut as a single piece, which when laid out flat, looks sort of like a pagoda.  It fits smoothly at the shoulder and widens towards the wrist.  The style is new in 1851, and seldom mentioned after 1859 (the last reference I've seen is in 1861).  At least once, the terms "pagoda sleeves" and "flowing sleeves" are used interchangeably.

A Pagoda.  Compare the roof shape to the cut sleeve shape.

Really rough sketch of a pagoda sleeve, as cut out.
The "base" of the pagoda is the wrist,
the top is set into the armscye, and the two sides
are sewn together to made the inner-arm sleeve

Pagoda sleeves are long and often very full when made up, though there's a bit of variety in size and shaping: some will cut in dramatically so that the inner arm length is much shorter than the outer arm. They may be very large at the wrist, or more moderate. Like other open sleeves, pagoda sleeves are almost always worn with white undersleeves, though some sheer dresses are worn without.

A narrow pagoda sleeve from
Graham's Magazine 1856 

Full pagoda, Godey's 1861

Pagoda Sleeves, The Lady's Home Magazine 1857

Flounced Pagoda Sleeves, Arthur's Home Magazine 1856

Look for the curve at the wrist between the outside edge and the inner-arm seam.

Silk dress c. 1861, from The Met

Silk Dress c. 1860-63, from The Met

Funnel Sleeves: Like the pagoda, the funnel sleeve fits closely at the shoulder and widens out near the wrist.  It lacks the back-curve at the end of the pagoda's sides, but may also be quite wide; the inner seam of the sleeve may be left open from wrist to elbow. The term "funnel" appears rarely, and all of those mentions are around 1858-61.

"The Funnel, an inelegant but descriptive name, wide at the bottom, funnel-shaped, and open to the bend of the arm. The opening may be laced across, or not, according to fancy. " -Godey's Lady's Book, March 1858

Rough sketch of a funnel sleeve.

Funnel sleeves open to the elbow, Harper's New Monthly Magazine, 1860

Turned-up funnel sleeve, Harper's New Monthly Magazine, 1861

Cotton dress, c. 1860, from The Met

Hanging Sleeves: The hanging sleeve resembles a pagoda or funnel sleeve with the inner-arm seam left open.  It's mentioned in the late 1850s, but not well-described.

Hanging Sleeve from The Ladies' Compantion, 1859

Coat Sleeves are a newer fashion in the 1860s.  They can be made narrow or wide: fit close at arm to the wrist or be open and worn with undersleeves.  The coat sleeve is distinguished by its two-piece construction (seams at the inner and outer arm) and it's distinct elbow-curve.

Coat sleeve diagram from Peterson's, 1862

Coat sleeves are more often full in the early '60s, when they co-exist with may other types of wide open and closed sleeves.  Towards the end of the War, they get narrower and more tailored in form, and almost completely replace the other styles.

A "loose coat sleeve with gauntlet cuff"
Godey's 1861

A Full Coat Sleeve, Peterson's 1863

Coat Sleeves, Peterson's, December 1864

Silk Dress, c. 1861-4

Silk Dress, c. 1860-65

Closed Sleeves
Some coat sleeves are made narrow and close-fitting at the wrist (see above, specifically the '64 fashion plate).

Bishop Sleeves: Bishop sleeves are full at the shoulder and wrist, with the extra material pleated or gathered to fit into the armscye of the bodice and the cuff of the sleeve.  Variations of the bishop sleeve may be full at the cuff and smoother at the shoulder (called a "half-bishop" in Godey's 1862), or may be made more bell-like by taking a dart up from the wrist along the outside of the sleeve.  The cuff of the bishop sleeve may fasten with buttons, or be a closed band (needs to be wide enough to slip the hand through).

Sketch of bishop sleeve, with optional dart.

Three-quarters length bishop sleeve with ruffle, 
Arthur's Home Magazine, September 1861

"Small bishop sleeves" from Frank Leslie's, February 1859

"Half-bishop" sleeve, Godey's, 1862

Bishop sleeve, La Follet, 1863

Cotton dress from The Met, c. 1860

The gigot or "leg of mutton" sleeve is very full at the top and has a smooth fit towards the wrist (the opposite of the "half bishop" mentioned earlier).  It was very popular in the 1830s as the "gigot" and will return later in the century as the "leg of mutton".  Both terms are used during it's brief revival around 1862/5 (I've found one reference in each year):

Rough sketch of a gigot sleeve;
it is much fuller at the top than a
smooth sleeve, and tapers to the wrist.

"Gigot" or "Leg of Mutton" sleeve,
particularly suited to morning wear
Godey's 1862

"Presidential Pardessus" with "leg of mutton" sleeves,
Frank Leslie's, 1865

Tight sleeves: Tight sleeves are close-fitted all the way from shoulder to wrist.  They seem more often to be hemmed rather than set into a cuff, and may be cut on the bias for a closer fit (the bias cut makes them a little stretchy).  This is a very popular sleeve in the 1840s after the gigot disappears, and is mentioned in the early 1860s magazines, but often without illustrations.

Rough sketch of a tight sleeve.

Tight sleeves, Arthur's Illustrated Home Magazine, 1860

Tight (bias) sleeve dress c. 1843

Other Sleeves and Sleeve Decorations

Puffs and flounces are frequently named (either incorporated into other sleeve styles, or on their own):

Cotton dress c. 1865 with sleeves of 5 puffs.

Runched sleeve (perhaps with an underlying coat shape?):

1860s Dress

Epaulettes, jockeys, and sleeve caps usually fit smoothly into the shoulder seam and have a free lower edge. They may be fairly plain or carry additional trim

Bell sleeve with epaulette (decorative piece just below the shoulder),
Peterson's,1860.

Jockey over "nearly tight" long sleeves,
Peterson's, 1860

Revers may describe folded-back lapels at the neck, or a turned back "cuff" at the lower end the sleeve.  They could get very large and ornate.

Open sleeve with revers,
Frank Leslie's, 1862

Other sleeves:

"Metternich Mantel" with "large, square sleeves"
Peterson's, 1860

"Mignonette sleeve", Graham's, April 1856

Five sleeves from Peterson's, 1862.

Short Sleeves

These are a staple of children's attire, but for adults are largely confined to ballgowns and some other evening wear. The length of a period short sleeve is usually around the bicep (not all the way to the elbow).

A puff sleeve is cut very full and gathered at the top and bottom (the shoulder and a lower band). Multiple puffs are possible, and the sleeve may have additional decoration.

Barege (wool-silk) dinner dress with short,
puffed sleeves. Frank Leslie's, 1862

Silk dress with short puffed sleeves, c. 1865, The Met.

Similar to the puff is the loose sleeve, which is cut full but only gathered at the top, the bottom being left free.

Silk dress from The Met, 1862.

The smooth short sleeve fits neatly at the shoulder and follows the arm, with little or no added fullness.  It may be used as the base of a more complicated sleeve.

Silk dress c. 1860-4, from The Met. 

Close up of the smooth sleeve,
adorned with lace and pleated fabric trim.

The "Saratoga", Peterson's, 1860.

Diagram for the "Saratoga": a darted bodice with a square neck (piece 1),
and three-piece back (2-3). The "little short sleeve" (4, appears to be half ) 
is a base for the puff (5, also halved) and frill (6, ditto).

"Very short" sleeves "ornamented with two rounded ends
of white crape, trimmed with pink gauffered gauze."
Frank Leslie's, 1862

Another style one sometimes sees, but which I don't have a name for (yet) moves the seam from under the arm to the top, and curves the two edges back.

Sleeve which cuts away towards the top;
on a silk dress, c. 1864, from The Met.

One of the evening dresses in an earlier post had what appeared to be a short loose sleeve base, with a elbow-length, back-half-only, version of the 'hanging sleeve' layered over it.  Unfortunately, the description says only that "the sleeves are quite new, and in excellent taste."

Godey's, February 1861, page 111/211

That's what I've found so far on sleeves.  I will be adding to it as I find more clear examples (especially on the short sleeves), and to replace my horrible bitmap sketches of the sleeve pieces with period cutting diagrams.