Getting Dressed - Anne Boleyn (1533)

In Henry VIII's accounts of the early 1530s, gifts appear for Anne Boleyn with increasing frequency. One of them was for a dressing gown of black velvet, lined with black silk taffeta, with sleeves lined with buckram, and embroidered in gold thread. Her knitted silk stockings were held up by embroidered garters, tied beneath the knee. Her shoes were the fashionable square-toed shoes, which balanced the wide Henrician silhouette. These are sometimes known as To dress her hair, a woman simply wove linen tape into her plaits, and wound the plaits carefully about her head, tying them securely in place, and a linen coif placed over the top. Her smock is of a fine white linen, with a wide neckline and long sleeves, and edged with blackwork embroidery. A hip pad may have been worn. These helped give shape to the petticoats, and made the waist seem smaller. A heavy red wool petticoat, lined with linen, was supported by a simplified bodice from the shoulder, without adding bulk to the torso, but at the same time adding fullness to the skirts. It closed at the centre waist. Almost all petticoats were red wool, regardless of the status of the wearer, as the colour red was regarded as a warm and healthful colour. The kirtle was a petticoat with skirts and a stiffened body, to help support the bust and define the figure. It fastened at the sides to maintain a continuous and unbroken neckline to display a band of jewels. The smock would be carefully lined up to the kirtle neck edge, for best effect. Only the front of the kirtle petticoat could be seen under the gown, and this was usually covered by a decorative forepart, a type of apron which was tied or pinned to the kirtle beneath. The sleeves fit tightly to the upper arm, then fan out into wide pendulous cuffs. The sleeve cuffs were folded back to reveal their luxurious fur lining. The gown bodice fits closely to the bejewelled border of the kirtle, keeping a smooth outline. The gown is laced up at the front, through hand-worked eyelets, in a linen panel. The four sleeves slip over the wrists and are fixed into place with ribbon points or pins, just above the sleeve elbow. This pair are made from white cloth or silver to match the petticoat forepart, and caught together with gold ooches. The front closure is then concealed beneath a stiffened placket of matching velvet. The placket is pinned into place with gold-headed straight pins down both sides. Anne Boleyn's most famous portrait, held by the National Portrait Gallery, of which there are many copies, is based on a lost original dated to 1533-36. It only shows her head and shoulders, so details such as the four sleeves and kirtle forepart are unknown. We do not see her girdle either, but elaborately jewelled girdles were amongst the most expensive items of jewellery. Initial jewellery, as well as ropes of pearls and long gold chains, were very fashionable. Anne wears a bee showing her pride in her Boleyn roots. Her outfit is completed with a French hood, decorated with two rows of pearls, and has a crimped gold border framing the face. A black silk veil flows down the back. Anne married Henry VIII in 1533. She was crowned Queen in June, and her daughter Elizabeth was born in September. However, the birth of a healthy daughter was not enough to secure her position. Her downfall was rapid. On the 19th of May, 1536, Anne Boleyn was executed for adultery and high treason. Accusations that most historians now believe were false.