The Housebook Dress (German ca 1475-1510): A survey of pleating styles depicted in contemporary imagery.

Presented for Kingdom A&S - 2014By HL Idonia Sherwood

(Miriam Pike)Barony of Adiantum

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Figure 1 | c 1480/85; Master of the Housebook: The Legend of St. Sebastian: Sebastian with a Woman.

Introduction

The Imagery of the last quarter of the Fifteenth Century in southern Germany is filled with a unique style of gown, different from many of the styles seen in the rest of Europe. This gown is typified by a placket of pleats in the front, ending just under the bust, and a matching placket in the back. The placket is fairly narrow and does not extend around the body. Where there is a waist seam, the pleats extend up past the seam. At the time, a gown of this type would have been called a kleid. As this is a generic term for gown, like kirtle is in English, this dress is commonly called the “Housebook Dress” after the Housebook manuscript, famous for images of this style of gown.

This style is a transitional style that combines the fitting of the earlier gothic fitted dress style with the pleats of the houppelande. This style is unique to the southern Germanic city states, particularly around Nuremburg. Other contemporary styles of dress include Burgundians and Houppelandes. As the style of dress fades out in the early decades of the 16 th century, the pleats drop down to the waist seam and the style moves towards the Kampfrau and Cranach dress styles of the German Renaissance.1

My project

I recently set out to construct my own Housebook based on previous interpretations and my own analysis. While working on the project, and doing subsequent research for my next Housebook, I have been struck by the variety of pleating styles and interpretations of them. My project is to categorize the various pleating types in contemporary imagery and present my interpretation of how this pleating was done. To visually sort the pleats, I focused on wide versus narrow pleats2 as this was the distinction that stood out the most to me. As the wide vs narrow definition is fairly subjective, I helped quantify my criteria by looking at the number of pleats present as an indication of width.

For this project, I am drawing on several types of sources, including extant garments, statuary and illustrations. Despite little in the way of extant evidence, we are able to reconstruct details of this dress style from the many illustrations and other depictions of the time. This is due to a meticulous attention to detail typical of this time period. One of the artists I relied on, Albrecht Durer, “is well-known for including the very final details in his artwork. He was a meticulous individual, and many pieces of his artwork demonstrate this by including even the fine details like lacing, white work embroidery, or a thin string.” (Hansler, 6)

1 One transitional style is a dress that combines elements of the landskenecht style. This style still has the typical front and back pleats of the housebook dress, but adds slashed sleeves and a low neck in back to the mix (Hansler)

2 For a reference on pleats used in period, I used Elizabethan Costuming Net (Leed, “Period Pleats”).

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Style 1: Narrow Pleats

This style is typified by very narrow vertical pleats in the front and back. The pleats are sharply defined down to the waist seam or beyond. Because the pleats are narrow, this type of pleat has a higher number of pleats shown in the placket (generally 8-10 pleats).

My interpretation:

The best way to achieve these pleats is by cartridge pleating. Cartridge pleating allows for a high number of small, sharp pleats like this in a small amount of space. I believe that this pleating is done with a separate placket that is attached to the skirt and applied to the bodice. The basis for this is the seam line visible in many of the images (Figures 2-4) as well as the sharp vertical pleats. Styles that have no separate pleating placket and simply pleat the fullness of the garment under the bust, create a different look. There are a few examples that might point to this type of construction, and I will talk about them in the next section.

My method of attaching the pleats is to apply the pleating placket on top of the fitted bodice. This method uses the fabric of the bodice to stabilize the pleats. On the next page you will find a diagram of how I worked the pleats using this construction method. The diagram shows a separate bodice and skirt. The pleating placket is cut wide to provide fabric for the pleats. In this diagram, the pleating placket is not cut separate from the skirt, but a seam could be added here. In my second dress of this type, I cut the skirt and pleating placket separate in order to insert a gore at that point and maximize the fullness of my skirt.

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Figure 3 | 1497; Durer: Portrait of a young Furleger with her hair done up.

Figure 4 | 1480-90; Ishrael von Meckenham: The Ill Assorted Couple.

Figure 2 | 1500; Albrecht Durer: Woman in Nuremburg goes to dancing.

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Another method of achieving this look is to cut away the bodice where the pleating placket will be inserted. The pleating placket cut separate from the bodice is common to most who reconstruct this dress type, but most cut out a panel from the bodice and insert the pleating placket in place. Of the reconstructions I looked at, better than 60% chose this method3.

3. Various reconstructions I have looked at: Eme's Compendium; Lady Malina; La Ultima Frontiera; The Compleately Dress Anachronist; Betina's Pages; Renika's Anachronistic Adventures; Katafalk; Subtle as a Thrown Rock; Crafty Agatha;

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My reasons for disagreeing with this construction method are:

1. The set-in pleating placket distorts the fabric of the bodice where it is inserted. This is usually seen at the very top of the pleats (Figure 5), but also happens at the side of the pleats to a lesser extent. Another potential problem presents itself with the center opening. If the opening in the center front of the dress extends to the waist, the closures on each side of the pleating placket can distort the pleats closest to the opening when closed as in Figure 6.

2. Cutting out a section of the bodice to insert the pleats can destabilize the integrity of the bodice if you are working from a fitted pattern. Figures 2-4 show a supportive bodice (Figure 4 looks almost painted on). Other images show a fitted gown with the pleats stopping over the bust (Figure 7). If you were cutting out the section and inserting pleats, this would make it difficult to maintain fitting let alone support. The further up those pleats go on the bodice, the more problematic this method becomes. This last difficulty can be mitigated by sturdily backing the pleats, but then why cut away that section of the bodice? I have discussed this problem with Lorien Haigh (Subtle as a Thrown Rock) who has recreated the Housebook Dress as well, and we have both avoided this method due to its complications.

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Figure 5: Eme's Compendium - Housebook Dress.

Figure 6: Crafty Agatha's Housebook Dress.

Figure 7: 1500/01 Durer: Nürnberger Jungfrau im Tanzkleid.

Regardless of how the pleats are attached to the gown, they are likely stuffed to make them stand out more. One contemporary extant garment from Germany supports this. This kleid, dated prior to 1513, is a German over-gown. The fullness of the body is pleated into the neck with cartridge pleats. The close-up images and diagrams show pleats that are stuffed with a back sewn on to create fullness (see below). I think that the bodice acts as the back for the pleats as discussed in the previous section.

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Style 2: Wide Pleats

This style is typified by wide, rounded pleats in the front and back. The pleats are sharply defined down to the waist seam or beyond. As opposed to the narrow style of pleating, this type has fewer pleats, generally 4-6 pleats.

My Interpretation:These pleats are wider and fuller than the narrow style. While this could be achieved the same

way as the narrower style, only with heavier fabric and more stuffing, I believe that rolled pleats are used for this style. Like the previous style, this is best achieved with a placket that is pleated and applied over a bodice (doing the pleated placket inset in the bodice has the same downsides with this style as discussed earlier).

This is the style I tried on the gown I made, which made very round pleats. To do this I made the placket extra long and folded it over, using the extra fabric to “stuff” the pleats. This achieves more fullness in the skirt than would be achieved with the four to six stuffed cartridge pleats of this style. Rolled pleats use fabric at approximately a 5:1 ratio. Cartridge pleating can use up a high ratio of fabric

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Figure 8 | 1475; Master of the Landauer Altar: Double Portrait of a bride and groom.

Figure 9 | 1515/20; School of Tilman: St. Katharina.

Figure 10 | 1500; Stoß: Büste eines ehemaligen Lüsterweibchens.

Figure 11 | Back of my Housebook Dress Figure 12 | Detail of pleats on the dress.

too, but only when a large number of pleats are packed tightly together (as seen in the narrow pleated style). In Figure 9 we can see that there is enough fabric in the pleats to create deep folds even after the stuffing would have stopped.

Style 3: Without a pleating placket

One option for the pleats on this gown that has been pointed out is without a pleating placket. That is, the gown is cut flared, and the excess fabric under the bosom is pleated and stitched in place. This was pointed out partly as some images of the dress do not have a defined line at the top of the pleats, as in figures 1-3. Without a defined line or seam at the top, is there a separate placket for the pleats? I had been following other costumer's interpretations of the pleats up until this point, so I decided to explore this idea.

First of all, I have looked at what type of pleats this would create. Knowing how fabric works, pleats like this would create more angled, less sharp ended pleats. In addition, the top of the pleats is likely to pucker with such a high profile pleat. I have found few instances where this construction seems to be present. The following images show how different these pleats look from other styles.

Figure 13 shows a definite pucker at the top of the pleats at the bust. Figure 14 shows less buckling, but has more angled pleats than the other images we have looked at so far. In addition, the top of the pleats also do not continue all the way to the center front. Both of these suggest to me that this second image is made without a separate pleating placket. I have found one costumer in Tir Righ who has constructed her gown this way. Her gown is almost identical to the pleats in Figure 13 and is made without a separate pleating placket. The other instances of gowns like this I have found tend to be earlier (1460-80). These are different enough from the other styles that I think this is a separate pleating technique and not a construction likely to produce the other styles of pleating.

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Figure 13 | 1490s; Durer: Young Couple.

Figure 14 | 1470 Schongauer: The Second Foolish Virgin.

Figure 15 |13 Costume's Housebook Dress.

Conclusion

In the end, I found two main styles of pleating with a placket. These are narrow versus wide pleats. I believe that both were made with a separate placket applied over the bodice. Further, I believe that the narrow pleats were made with stuffed cartridge pleats, and the wide pleats were made with stuffed rolled pleats. A possible third type is a separate style made without the use of a placket.

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SourcesPrimary

Durer, Albrecht. Young Couple. c. 1490s. Wiki Paintings 5 Dec 2013 <http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/albrecht-durer/young-couple>.

Portrait of a Young Fürleger with Her Hair Done Up. c. 1497. Staatliche Museen, Berlin, Germany. Web Gallery of Art. 2 February 2010, <http://www.wga.hu/>.

Woman in Nuremburg goes to dancing. 1500. Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna. 7 Dec 2013 <http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/62/39/83/62398359fafd9a590befc22f2bfe0f5f.jpg>

Nürnberger Jungfrau im Tanzkleid, 1500-01. Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna. 7 Dec 2013 <http://www.kunstbilder-galerie.de/gemaelde-kunstdrucke/bilder/albrecht-duerer/bild_787617.html>

Kleid der Jungfrau Maria vor der Konsieverung, von hinten. In Kleidung im Mittelalter. By Katrin Kania. Germany: Böhlau-Verlag GmbH, 2010.

von Meckenham, Ishrael after Master of the Housebook. The Ill-Assorted Couple. 1480-1490. British Museum. 7 Dec 2013 <http://www.britishmuseum.org/>

Master of the Housebook. The Legend of St. Sebastian: Sebastian with a Woman. c. 1480/85. Bischöfliches Cathedral and Diocesan Museum. Mainz, Germany. Bildindex der Kunst und Architektur. 8 Dec 2013 <http://s797.photobucket.com/user/gluckliche-eme/media/Master%20of%20the%20Housebook/82.jpg.html>.

Master of the Landauer Altar. Double Portrait of a bride and groom. 1475, Dessau, National Gallery. <http://www.bildindex.de/bilder/MI00420a14a.jpg >

Schongauer, Martin. The second foolish virgin. 1470. Rijk Museum. 7 Dec 2013 <http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.30153>.

School of Tilman Riemenschneider. HL. Katharina. c. 1550/20. Marienberg Fortress, Wurzburg. Photo Taken 24 Sept 2011. Lady Petronilla. 8 Dec 2013 <http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladypetronilla/6730698067/in/set-72157628951480455/>

Stoß, Veit. Büste eines ehemaligen Lüsterweibchens. c 1500. Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, München. Wikimedia Commons. 9 Dec 2013 <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sammlung_Ludwig_-_Artefakt_und_Naturwunder-Veit_Sto%C3%9F-L%C3%BCsterweibchen80104.jpg >

Secondary

Hänsler, Emeludt. “The Dürer Gown: A Melding of the Housebook and Landsknecht Fashion in the Southern Germanic Countries, ca. 1490-1525.”Web Article. 9 Dec 2013. <http://www.gluckliche-eme.com/Articles/The%20D%C3%83%C2%BCrer%20Gown.pdf>

Leed, Drea. “Period Pleats.” Web page. Elizabethan Costuming Net. 8 Dec 2013 <http://www.elizabethancostume.net/pleats/>.

Blog Reconstructions Cited (secondary sources cont.)

13 Costumes, Untitled. 10 Jan 2010. 13 Costume's Flickr Stream. 8 Dec 2013 <http://www.flickr.com/photos/13_costumes/4265978705/in/set-72157623073735095>.

Bettina. “Housebook or Durer Dress.” Web page. Oct 2010. 8 Dec 2013 <http://www.bettinas-pages.de/clothing/c_duerer.php>.

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Haigh, Lorien. “Housebook Documentation.” Weblog entry. 21 Jan 2012. Subtle as a Thrown Rock. 8 Dec 2013 <http://petracasta.blogspot.com/2012/01/housebook-documentation.html>.

Katafalk. My Outfits for Medieval Week. 2 Aug 2013. Katafalk's Page. 7 Dec 2013 <https://www.facebook.com/cathrinkatafalk >.

Miller, Edyth. “A Housebook Dress for my daughter.” Weblog entry. 21 Jan 2012; “Kara's Housebook Complete.” Weblog Entry. 4 March 2012. The Compleately Dressed Anachronist. 8 Dec 2013 <http://edythmiller.blogspot.com/2012/01/housebook-dress-for-my-daughter.html>.

Myra's Costuming Page. “The Durer 1490s Dress.” Web page. 2004. Myra's Costuming Page. 7 Dec 2013 <http://myra.hem.nu/costume/ >.

Renika. “Nothing gets you done like a deadline.” Weblog entry. 12 Aug 2013; “Having the Blues.” Weblog entry. 11 Jul 2013. Renika's Anachronistic Adventures. 7 Dec 2013 <http://renikasanachronisticadventures.blogspot.com/ >.

vanden Westhende, Catrijn. Stuffed Rolled Pleats; Back Pleats Done; Housebook Dress. March 2010. Catrijn's Flickr Stream. 7 Dec 2013 <http://www.flickriver.com/photos/catrijn/sets/72157623474822459/>.

Wanderer, Agatha. “Franken-er-New Wool Housebook Dress.” 11 March 2012. Crafty Agatha. 7 Dec 2013 <http://craftyagatha.com/archives/412>.

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