A lower class tunic - Part 1: Pictorial research

The last 12 months or so have been full of (increasingly frantic...) sewing as I and some of my friends prepared for our first visit to the Battle of Wisby. For those of you who don't know, this is a huge mid-14th Century event held in Sweden which is a bit of a Mecca for 14th Century reenactors who are of an authenticity bent (i.e. ME!).

My husband & I needed pretty much head-to-toe new outfits. One of the key items was a new tunic for my husband. Of course, that required research!

As my group does 1337-60 and my husband wanted a lower class impression, I started with one of our best mid-14th Century English sources: the Luttrell Psalter. Whilst a touch on the early side, at c. 1325-40, it shows way more non-noble, non-fashionable people compared with other manuscripts. So, it was a great starting point.

Here are some of the key images I referenced:

Archers practicing, Luttrell Psalter.
BL Add. 42130, f. 147v.
c. 1325-40, Lincolnshire, N. England.

Boy scaring geese, Luttrell Psalter.
BL Add. 42130, f. 169v.
c. 1325-40, Lincolnshire, N. England.

Ploughing, Luttrell Psalter.
BL Add. 42130, f. 170r.
c. 1325-40, Lincolnshire, N. England.

Sowing, Luttrell Psalter.
BL Add. 42130, f. 170v.
c. 1325-40, Lincolnshire, N. England.

Harrowing, Luttrell Psalter.
BL Add 42130, f. 171r.
c. 1325-40, Lincolnshire, N. England.

Stacking stooks of wheat, Luttrell Psalter.
BL Add. 42130, f. 173r.
c. 1325-40, Lincolnshire, N. England.

I also looked at some other sources, mostly copies of the Roman de la Rose since I know that these manuscripts consistently depict some characters as lower class. This was partly to check that lower class tunics are depicted similarly in other manuscripts and partly to check that they are depicted similarly a decade or so later (i.e. within the 1337-60 bracket of my group).

Here are some of the images I used:

Dangier warns off L'Amans, Roman de la Rose.
Bibliothèque municipale d'Arras, 897, f. 17r.
14th Century, France.

Dangier warns off Bel Acueil, Roman de la Rose.
Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, 5226, f. 22r.
1300-50, Paris, France.

Dangier warns off Bel Acueil, Roman de la Rose.
BNF 802, f. 20v.
1300-50, France.

Dangier warns off Bel Acueil, Roman de la Rose.
Walters Art Museum, W. 143, f. 20v.
Mid-14th Century, Paris, France.

From these images, I generated a list of key features for a garment of this sort. Namely:

• Just-below-knee to mid-calf length.
• Full skirt, which may have splits at the side or centre-front.
• Barrel-shaped, columnar torso.
• Tight lower sleeves, which (in the later-than-Luttrell Psalter images) may have a few buttons.
• Looser, but not hugely baggy, upper sleeves.
• Round or slightly oval/boat neckline.
• May or may not be lined (in fabric -- fur linings are not shown).

Using this, I was able to start to think about fabric, patterns, cutting patterns, draping, etc. But that is for another day.

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Part 1: Pictorial Research ~ Part 2: Choosing a Pattern ~ Part 3: Drafting the Garment

Part 4: The Finished Tunic (to come)