Anyway, if you are interested in making this version of the women's service uniform, try to have a men's tunic on hand. It will come in useful. Read on.
The key pieces of research that made this uniform so much better than my first one were additional photos of women Contract Surgeons in their uniforms. Specifically, I now have one that shows Dr. Tjomsland wearing a mandarin collar style uniform. Since I like this style better anyway it was nice to be able to justify that choice. It is interesting that there is no insignia on her uniform, but to be fair, her service was very unusual even for a Contract Surgeon. She was not contracted before her unit departed the United States for France, so it is possible that this uniform was also commissioned before she was contracted. In any case, unless something new turns up in her papers when I finish reading through them in January, this is the only photo of her in uniform.
Image in the public domain; scan is my own
In addition, I have located other photos. Note specifically that Dr. Esther Leonard is pictured in TWO different styles of uniforms with two different styles of insignia. There was NO consistency in how these uniforms were made, only personal preference. It is very interesting also to note the fit of Dr. Elizabeth Hocker's uniform. Why the dropped waist? These were uniforms but they were also, for the most part, fashionable for the late 1910s, which meant being fitted or belted at the waist. I have no idea what is going on with the fit of Dr. Hocker's uniform.
Dr. Esther Leonard (source: Esther Leonard papers at Missouri Over There)
Left: Dr. Esther Leonard upon her return to the United States
(source: Esther Leonard papers at Missouri Over There)
Right: Dr. Elizabeth Hocker during her service in France
For my uniform I decided to make one like Dr. Esther Leonard's mandarin collar uniform. It checks a lot of boxes for me: Sam Browne belt, insignia, mandarin collar, bellows pockets, and all supported with pictorial evidence.
Patterning and Construction
Construction of this uniform began with the pattern that I created for my previous uniform, so if you want to know what those steps were, please read my essay about that here. For this uniform the obvious modifications that needed to be made to the pattern were the addition of the mandarin collar, the addition of neck darts, and the removal of the center back skirt pleat. I also shifted the shoulder seams a little towards the back for better fit and widened the sleeves. Again, I apologize that I have no photos of this process, so you will have to take my verbal description of what happened. It did help to have a men's tunic (more on this in a moment) on hand to help with proportions and placement of the neck darts.
As you can imagine, this uniform was a lot easier to make than the Summer uniform for several reasons. First of all, I chose a very high quality wool coating. It was easily shaped and eased into the proper fit and, because this is a mandarin collar and not a notched lapel jacket, I did not need to do any interfacing with hair canvas or pad stitching. The skirt is made exactly the same as the one for my Summer uniform with a false open front and hand-embroidered buttonholes. It fastens at the waist with authentic Edwardian brass buttons. The jacket body is unlined, but the sleeves and skirt are lined with silk habotai to reduce friction and, in the case of the skirt, so the wool would not adhere to my undergarments. A hook and thread bar between the first and second button at the collar prevents gaping in that area, which happens because of the curvature of the breast in women's garments.
The major modification I made this time around was the addition of bellows pockets on the hips. These hold a lot of necessities and they are place slightly lower underneath the pocket flaps so that my Sam Browne belt does not render them inaccessible. I will be doing much of this again when I make my American Women's Hospitals uniform, so I will do my best to document THAT process for you to learn from.
I think that this uniform would be easy to pattern using measurements taken from a men's tunic. If you look closely, their tunics already have darts in all the correct places to accommodate the more curvy female figure, they must simply be taken in at different depths. Go ahead, flip one inside out if you do not believe me. This same method of fitting helps the uniform lay smoothly over his chest and it will help it lay smoothly over our bodies as well. We can see that this worked pretty well for Dr. Leonard, above, who was most definitely a curvy lady. Her Sam Browne belt completes the visual fit of her uniform and cinches it in completely to her waist.
Probably the most difficult part of making this version of the uniform is getting the collar to fit right. We know that this is an issue with the repros of men's tunics, to the point that entire tutorials have had to be created to help fix the fit in that area. Before attaching the collar, it is important to make sure that the neck darts are deep enough and that the collar is trimmed to the right level so that the collar is sitting right at the collarbone/nape of the neck. The men's tunic is also useful for figuring out how the collar should be assembled. Mine closes with a Dritz thread covered hook and loop, available at most sewing stores, which is a historically accurate solution. It took me some trial and error to figure out the best placement for the hook (the loop gets set into the seam between the collar and the collar lining) so that the collar closes completely in front.
I think that this uniform would be easy to pattern using measurements taken from a men's tunic. If you look closely, their tunics already have darts in all the correct places to accommodate the more curvy female figure, they must simply be taken in at different depths. Go ahead, flip one inside out if you do not believe me. This same method of fitting helps the uniform lay smoothly over his chest and it will help it lay smoothly over our bodies as well. We can see that this worked pretty well for Dr. Leonard, above, who was most definitely a curvy lady. Her Sam Browne belt completes the visual fit of her uniform and cinches it in completely to her waist.
Probably the most difficult part of making this version of the uniform is getting the collar to fit right. We know that this is an issue with the repros of men's tunics, to the point that entire tutorials have had to be created to help fix the fit in that area. Before attaching the collar, it is important to make sure that the neck darts are deep enough and that the collar is trimmed to the right level so that the collar is sitting right at the collarbone/nape of the neck. The men's tunic is also useful for figuring out how the collar should be assembled. Mine closes with a Dritz thread covered hook and loop, available at most sewing stores, which is a historically accurate solution. It took me some trial and error to figure out the best placement for the hook (the loop gets set into the seam between the collar and the collar lining) so that the collar closes completely in front.
Insignia and Buttons
I was lucky this time around to have authentic uniform buttons from the Great War on hand, so this uniform has those on it. I also used authentic collar insignia and an authentic set of gold service stripes. The stripes, as I mentioned before, are symbolic of Dr. Tjomsland's unrecognized term of service. Other Contract Surgeons wore them, but her time under contract was relatively short due to bureaucratic issues with the Medical Corps. She was officially on the Army's payroll, however, from July 1917 to March 1919, so I think they are justified. Repros by Ray just obtained one of the officers' caduceus insignia with the CS for Contract Surgeons, so I may wear those at some point when he gets them made.
Accessories
For this uniform I made a few matching garrison caps in various styles depending on my mood. One of them is the British style with buttons on it. The second is made in a style worn by the American Women's Hospitals Service, and it is actually a somewhat premature piece of a uniform that I have in the works.
Dr. Barbara Hunt of the American Women's Hospitals Service, my upcoming impression, showing the style of hat I made. As an aside, do you or someone you know have AWH insignia/uniforms? If you will not sell them to me, will you at least let me make a cast of the insignia for my impression? Email me!
Photo: Drexel University Medical College Archives and Special Collections, a144_057
It is impossible to know what these women wore under their uniform jackets, but I found quickly that the high collar with a wool shirt underneath rubbed the skin on my neck raw, so I replaced the shirt with an authentic cotton shirtwaist with a high collar as a barrier. The bit of lace peeking over the edge of the uniform collar and out of the cuffs is a nice touch, I think. The photo of Dr. Leonard shows a white collar beneath her uniform, so I may look into making a shirtwaist that can take detachable collars.
Because this is for winter wear, I have wool stockings and long johns to wear under this uniform in addition to my usual chemise and drawers. My shoes are always authentic and I am looking into purchasing a pair of leather leggings, since I know that women in other branches of service at the time wore them. I also purchased a long officer's overcoat for cold outdoor events.
Above photos by Scott Stanger
A group of the East Coast Doughboys before the Veteran's Day Parade in New York City, 10 November 2018
Photo: Kevin Fitzpatrick
A group of the East Coast Doughboys prior to the Veteran's Day Parade in New York City, 10 November 2018 (photographer unknown)
Giving a presentation on Dr. Tjomsland at the Bay Ridge Historical Society, 21 November 2018
Photo: Tom Hilton
Lining up for the Veteran's Day Parade in New York City, 11 November 2018
Photo: Luiz Ribeiro
Very good read -I like the mix of practicality and historical accuracy =bully !
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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