Dressing an Edwardian Maid: What Did They REALLY Wear?

Few images are as iconic as that of a maid in a black dress and white apron and cap, and yet it is often only understood as a stereotype. Shows like Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs have helped tell the forgotten stories of those who were in service at the beginning of the 20th century. Women in service faced long hours of physically demanding work in an unregulated field where they were subject to the whims of their employers, with little personal time or Although we most commonly think of grand, stately manor houses with an army of uniformed male and female servants, the vast majority of servants were employed by middle-class households where they worked alone or with one or two other servants, and those servants were overwhelmingly women. Male servants, like butlers and footmen, were typically the preserve of wealthier households and another signifier of status. Domestic service was a source of income for a considerable proportion of working women at the turn of the 20th century. In England in 1901, nearly 1.7 million women were employed as domestic servants, or 40% of the adult female working population. In America in 1900, nearly 1.3 million women were employed as domestic servants. Of those women, 47% were American-born white women, 26.9% were American-born black women, and 25.9% were white immigrants. The black dress and white apron and cap we so strongly associate with maids only became standardized in the late 19th century. In fact, a report published in 1916 remarked that, quote, it is only for one generation that the black dress has been universal for a maid's afternoon and evening wear. For centuries, male servants in elite households such as footmen were often dressed in uniform livery, but there was no such female equivalent until the convention of the black dress and white accessories became fashionable. This ensemble, however, was not worn the entire day, but instead reserved for the latter part of the day and more formal occasions. In her 1902 manual on household management, Mrs. Seeley described the correct following for a chambermaid. The chambermaid's dress for morning wear should always be of light print material, waist and skirt to match. In the A few of these informal morning dresses are in the collection of the Manchester Gallery and consist of a skirt and matching waist or bodice as suggested by Mrs. Seeley. Surprisingly, I have been unable to find any surviving examples of the formal afternoon livery, but by using written documentation and looking at typical construction for the period, I've put together what I believe is a reasonable interpretation of this iconic ensemble. All of the undergarments worn beneath the dress are standard articles of clothing worn by the vast majority of women at the turn of the century, regardless of class. I'm starting with a cotton chemise and a straight front corset, as well as stockings and boots. Maids and other working class women wore corsets as this was the social norm and provided support for the chest and back. The straight front corset was fashionable at the beginning of the 20th century and was promoted not only as providing the desired silhouette, but being more healthful than previous models as it was believed to encourage better posture and take pressure off of the abdomen. This corset was made by the Boudoir Quay and uses a pattern from atelier silk taken from an original corset. You can find both on Etsy and I will link to them in the description. Next, I'm wearing a pair of split drawers. These can seem a bit unusual to modern sensibilities, but they are the key to easily using the bathroom in 18th and early 20th century clothing. There are actually a lot of options when it comes to Edwardian chemises and drawers versus union or combination garments and the order in which they were worn. And Lauren of Wearing History has an excellent video explaining them, which I will also link to below. A small bustle pad is worn to give just a little extra oomph to the hips and rear, which furthers the illusion of a small waist and gives more fashionable proportions without the need to tight lace. Period images show these pads being worn over the corseted figure as opposed to under the corset. Petticoats with ample ruffles around the hem helped support the flared hem of skirts worn over them. This petticoat was made from fine cotton and trimmed with cotton lace. Like the drawers, I made this petticoat with a drawstring waist for adjustability. It's helpful to wear the petticoat below the smallest part of your waist so that you aren't adding unnecessary bulk around your actual waistline. This seemed like the perfect time to show off the ruffle of the petticoat as well as my beloved boots, which are from Oak Tree Farms. Sadly, they no longer make this style with the canvas tops, but I found this pair on eBay second hand. The last undergarment I'll put on is a corset cover. This uses buttons and drawstrings to fasten and gives a nice extra fullness to the upper body, which was desirable at the very beginning of the 20th century. I made this corset cover and the drawers by altering the combinations pattern from past patterns to create separate garments. Now I'm ready to put on the actual dress. The skirt and waist are made from black worsted wool. Wool was the most common fabric mentioned in period documents for formal afternoon livery, like the cashmere and serge mentioned by Mrs. Sealy. The skirt closes at the left side with hooks and eyes. I followed Abby Cox's skirt video for the construction, including the adorable and very practical butt pocket. I just love the shape of the skirt and how it moves. Even though this is a simple outfit, the shape is so elegant. Next, I put on the waist or bodice. I wasn't entirely sure how I wanted to construct this until I found an original black wool bodice for sale on Etsy. I can't say for certain that this was part of a maid's formal livery, but since it was black wool and the style I was looking for, it seemed a reasonable choice to base my construction on. The waist has a fitted lining made of black polished cotton, which fastens separately at the center front with hooks and eyes. The black wool then fastens on top. I forgot that I needed to tuck the waist into the skirt, so I'm refastening the skirt on top. This creates the look of one dress while being separate pieces. The front fullness is arranged to have that fashionable pigeon breast silhouette. At the wrist are detachable white cuffs, which can easily be removed for laundering and are simply basted to the dress. The last thing to finish the dress is the white collar. First, a collar stud is placed through the buttonholes in the collar of the waist itself. Then, the white collar is wrapped around the neck, and the ends are also secured with the collar stud. This collar was honestly the most difficult part of this outfit because I had to make it from scratch. While you can buy antique and reproduction collars, I couldn't find one that had both my neck measurement and the height I wanted, so I made my own. It was a real trial and not one that I'm eager to do again, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. On the other hand, my favorite part of the outfit is the cap, which I made from cotton organdy and trimmed with cotton lace. The cap is really what set A Woman in Service apart from everyone else because it served no practical purpose and wasn't a fashionable accessory at the time. Many women in service actually resented caps as a symbol of servitude and a source of ridicule and scorn for other women, even women of their own class. The final garment to put on is the apron, made of white cotton with broderie anglaise bretelles. There was a wide variety of styles for the top of the apron, with the bottom of the apron generally reaching to a few inches above the hem of the dress. And with that, I'm fully dressed in afternoon livery for a parlor maid or chambermaid. Domestic service was beginning to diminish as a major form of employment for women at the beginning of the 20th century. World War I and World War II brought an increase in the number of higher-paying factory jobs and other positions that made domestic service even more undesirable for working-class women. At the same time, the invention of time- and labor-saving appliances made housekeeping less of a daunting task for the housewife. The once ubiquitous black dress and white cap and apron has become a relic of the past, but I hope we never forget the lives of the women who wore them.