Victorian Rail Travel vs. Big Dresses: The 19th Century Struggle

How in the world did women squeeze themselves (and their dresses) into trains in the 19th century?

I saw this mentioned on Threads, and it highlighted a misconception. The 19th century isn't one year stuck in time. It spanned from 1789-1914.

Georgian Vs. Regency vs. the Victorian era and fashion changes

In that time, the entire world shifted. The Georgian era gave way to the very short Regency era (1811-1820), which ended in 1837 when Queen Victoria took the throne–who reigned as Queen for nearly sixty-four years (who, by the way, died in 1901).

With it, fashion changed and regimented, as it is wont to do.

If you picture one like these:

You're in roughly 1800-1811, right in Jane Austen’s lifetime, yes?

If you're picturing this:

This one is from the early to mid-1870s, designed by an American designer (I don't know the designer's name, sorry) who were slightly behind the rest of the fashion world.

This is a Worth (a British designer) circa 1885:

(Note the shorter skirt in the front)

This next one is a ballgown by the House of Worth.

(I'm a bit confused as to who owned this gown. The Met Museum article doesn't make it clear. It was either owned by Empress Eugénie in 1868, or it was owned by one Mrs. William De Forest Manice. The Met Museum's article is a bit unclear).

More than likely, your heroine wouldn’t be trying to squeeze herself through a narrow train aisle (or seat) in one of those sweet little numbers.

For instance, this:

Is a portrait of some women from 1894 from the Library of Congress.

Smack in the middle of the age of steam trains.

Here’s another that shows these fine ladies sitting:

(and obviously some dapper gentlemen, but well, they're not in dresses!)

Circa 1899. (And, honestly? These last two are probably closer to the silhouette of an era-appropriate traveling dress, anyway).

Or like this:

Do you see the difference in the skirts? Very small, if any, bustle showing.

The dresses you're likely thinking of when you think of Victorian era dresses, (like the green Empress Eugénie dress) never would make it onto a female form sitting on the train, this kind of dress would more likely wait in the fine lady's trunks until she got to where she was going.

Also, if she were wearing that big dress, in transit inside London, she was on her way to a ball, and it's a safe bet that the preferred mode of transit was her personal carriage.

Another factor against wearing elaborate ballgowns on trains is the fact that they spewed out a lot of black soot, and though modern trains strike us as enclosed bullets, the Victorian era train was more like a steampowered carriage, with windows that could be opened to the landscape–and an invitation for the soot to stream right in on you. That being the case, you’d not wear your Sunday best on a steam train.

Keep in mind, trains running inside London, especially the newfangled underground trains, usually ended their service day around 12AM. Most parties in the 1880s and ‘90s didn’t begin until 10PM if not later and lasted until 3AM or later. You’d definitely have to have some other mode of transportation to get home.

And then there was the way your high society friends would glare. A highborn woman simply didn’t arrive at a ball fresh from the train station. She’d be smelling of soot and sulfur. grimace Not elegant enough for a ball.

Sorry to wax poetic about the topic. I had to research this for my Victorian era romance, Courting the Stationmaster's Daughter. 😀 (Picture me Googling "can a woman run in a bustle gown?" and "How did they board trains in those dresses?")

Would it be hard for a woman to navigate train aisles in dresses like that? The one from 1875? Probably. The one from 1880s? She could make it work. But from the 1880s on? She’d likely be wearing a travel suit that could have a bustle, but often, omitted it for better ease during train travel.

While you’re at it, don’t forget to check out my novel, Courting the Stationmaster’s Daughter (Camden Girls, book one)--you know, the book that sparked all these questions for me, (outside the Threads comment I mentioned at the very beginning). You can get it (and the rest of the books in the series) here:

What do you think? Could you give navigating a narrow train in one of those dresses a shot? Which style do you like best?

Thanks for reading. If you'd like more tidbits about the Victorian era--and more of my sweet Victorian romance novels,

Notes:

https://lilyabsinthe.com/some-commentary-on-walking-dresses-walking-suits-from-the-1880s/

https://www.loc.gov/item/2018695641/

http://theantiquesalmanac.com/thetrialsandtravailsofvictoriantraintravel.htm

https://www.connielacy.com/post/not-for-sissies-train-travel-in-the-1850s

Photo 1:

Mrs. Q., 1820 William Blake after François Huet

Photo 2: French gown from 1804

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/81135

Photo 3: early to mid-1870s, by an unnamed American designer

Photo 4: Charles Worth, 1885:

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/159339

Photo 5: Charles Worth, Ball gown, 1872:

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/81112

Photo six: [Fashions for women, 1894]

https://www.loc.gov/item/2018695641/

Photo seven:

[African American men and women posed for portrait on steps at Atlanta University, Georgia] digital file from original photograph,1899

https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.08764/