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.
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| A Pagoda. Compare the roof shape to the cut sleeve shape. |
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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.
Look for the curve at the wrist between the outside edge and the inner-arm seam.
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
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| Rough sketch of a funnel sleeve. |
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.
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.
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| 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.
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A "loose coat sleeve with gauntlet cuff"
Godey's 1861 |
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).
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| Sketch of bishop sleeve, with optional dart. |
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| "Half-bishop" sleeve, Godey's, 1862 |
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):
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Rough sketch of a gigot sleeve;
it is much fuller at the top than a
smooth sleeve, and tapers to the wrist. |
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"Gigot" or "Leg of Mutton" sleeve,
particularly suited to morning wear
Godey's 1862 |
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"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.
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| Rough sketch of a tight sleeve. |
Other Sleeves and Sleeve Decorations
Puffs and flounces are frequently named (either incorporated into other sleeve styles, or on their own):
Runched sleeve (perhaps with an underlying coat shape?):
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
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Bell sleeve with epaulette (decorative piece just below the shoulder),
Peterson's,1860. |
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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.
Other sleeves:
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| "Mignonette sleeve", Graham's, April 1856 |
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| 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.
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Barege (wool-silk) dinner dress with short,
puffed sleeves. Frank Leslie's, 1862 |
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| 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.
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.
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| Silk dress c. 1860-4, from The Met. |
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Close up of the smooth sleeve,
adorned with lace and pleated fabric trim. |
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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). |
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"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.
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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."
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.
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