The Alexandra Limp and Other Affectations of Posture

In the 1860s, when Queen Alexandra, then the Princess of Wales, suffered a painful attack of rheumatism in her knee which, in time, resulted in a permanent limp, high society women London, keen as ever to stay on trend with the day’s fashion, began to sycophantically imitate it. It became ridiculously popular and was known as the Alexandra Limp, although it was ‘widely derided’ by, well, by anyone with any sense probably. John Stephen Farmer called it “an erstwhile fit of semi-imbecility” by “a crowd of limping petticoated toadies”.

Be that as it may, the fad was followed by a similar curiosity of posture in the USA, namely, The Grecian Bend, which saw women apparently go about their business whilst bent oddly at the waist. Albert Jones Bellows describes in a sighting in Boston:“She waddled a few rods past the store, and then turned round, smiling, or rather smirking, complacently on her ‘crowd of admirers,’ with an expression of face which seemed to say, … ‘All my torture is repaid by the admiration I excite.’”

[Sources: Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (p.25) | Futility Closet  | Telegraph | Wikipedia]

Dance Cards

Originating in the 18th century, but growing in popularity throughout the 19th century, dance cards were small, decorative notebooks used by women to record the names of the men who had promised them a dance at a ball.

As can be seen in the fan-shaped example above, the names of each dance that will be played at the event are noted already on the blue “Dances” sections, whilst the “Engagements”, or the names of the men with whom the woman intends to dance, are marked in ink beside them. Apparently the men would just have to remember by heart with whom they had promised the dance.

The dance cards came in particularly handy at the massive 19th century balls of Vienna, especially those during Fasching, just before Lent. Most dance cards incorporated a pencil and a cord to attach to the woman’s wrist, however, more elaborate dance cards of the elite were sometimes decorated with precious metals or jewels.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Learned Pigs

Learned Pigs provided a popular form of entertainment throughout the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries.

The original Learned Pig caused a sensation in London during the 1780s. To the amazement of enraptured audiences, the “intellectual” swine would “by means of typographical cards … set down any capital or Surname, reckon the number of people present, tell by evoking on a Gentleman’s watch in company what is the Hour and Minutes; he likewise tells any Lady’s Thoughts in company, and distinguishes all sorts of colours.” In 1788 it was reported that the pig had died, however, later conflicting reports announced the pig’s return following the 1789 French Revolution, and his readiness to “discourse on the Feudal System, the Rights of Kings and the Destruction of the Bastille”.

In the 1790s another Learned Pig, the “Pig of Knowledge”, toured the USA. Its owner described his methods of training the pig by coaxing it, rather than torturing it, which many believed must be the only way to get these pigs to respond. Despite this, the owner was accused of employing witchcraft, with one incredulous spectator declaring that “his performances were the effects of the Black Art; that the Pig ought to be burnt, and the Man banished, as he had no doubt but…[his trainer] familiarly corresponded with the devil.” The same pig was later exhibited in London where he was advertised as having acquired his knowledge from “Souchanguyee, the Chinese Philosopher.”

An illusionist in the early part of the 19^th century exhibited yet another Leaned Pig by the name of Toby. Toby could “discover a person’s thoughts”, a skill “never heard of before to be exhibited by an animal of the swine race” and around 1817 Toby published an “autobiography” entitled The life and adventures of Toby, the sapient pig: with his opinions on men and manners. Written by himself. Thereafter, Toby became the standard name for a Learned Pig.

[Source: Learned Pig]

Victorian Dress Lifter

Basically tool kits masquerading as jewelry, “chatelaines” allowed Victorian women to keep quotidian essentials at the ready, in the graceful style the era demanded. Consisting of functional pendants attached to a clip, these accessories were worn at the waist. 

The above artifact would be hung on the chatelaine alongside other day-to-day necessities such as make-up, pencils, needles, and perfume. Women relied on these little tongs to hoist up their skirt hems when crossing dirty streets.

[Source: Country Living | See Also]

Hysteria under Hypnosis

A series of photographs from the 1870s of a woman apparently “suffering” from female hysteria, that is, “a tendency to cause trouble,” whilst under hypnosis.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Lady Revivers

As aforementioned, Victorian women were, for one of a number of possible reasons, frequently afflicted by fainting fits. Whilst indoors this might be easy enough to remedy, however, a sudden fit whilst out and about might prove more perilous. Thus, Police constables of the era were equipped with small vials of smelling salts in small containers adorned with a crown - called Lady Revivers - to revive women in the streets.

[Sources: BBC | See Also: io9]

Fainting Rooms

Victorian women being, as they were, prone to frequent fainting fits, it was an inspired idea to designate a specific room in one’s home for the very purpose of overcoming them.

One theory posits that the prevalence of fainting rooms within the Victorian home stems from the tightness of corsets, which would restrict blood flow and cause women to faint, however, as women are depicted throughout the 19^th century engaging in vigorous activities whilst thus attired, it is more likely that the fainting rooms were a response to the all too frequent diagnosis of ‘female hysteria’ attributed to any woman displaying signs of a general ‘tendency to cause trouble.’

Fainting rooms would provide privacy whilst the “afflicted” sought treatment in the form of a highly intimate pelvic massage – a treatment performed by a doctor that could take hours, might be required on a weekly basis, and is possibly the reason the model in the above photograph is smiling… Throughout, the “patient” would lie on a specially designed fainting couch, the feature furniture in fainting rooms, which was not dissimilar to a chaise longue, having one end of the back raised and an arm at only one side so as to provide easy access to the reclining position. 

[Sources: Image | Fainting Room | Fainting Chair | Female Hysteria]