“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a silver sixpence in her shoe.”
Old folk saying
This serious business to the right is a scene called “Preparing the Trousseau”. It was painted in 1861 by the lesser known French painter Louis Francois Picard (1820 – 1866). It depicts a homey setting with five women packing a dress and other garments into a chest aka “the trousseau”.
Although artistically the painting is not that exceptional, it is still touching in many ways. The image is rich in symbolism of womanhood, tradition and ritualism. It combines a naturalistic and representational art form well suited to illustrate a folklore or craft (that was later picked up by a movement called regionalism epitomized by Thomas Hart Benton). And the painting offers a narrative about clothing that is rarely seen in art.
1. Something new
New stuff was serious business for sure – a bride’s family would fill a chest with handmade dresses & nightgowns, bed linens, and housewares to prepare her for her new married life. The richer a trousseau was, the higher the bride’s status. -a trousseau symbolized a family’s financial status, domestic arts, leaving home, and virginity. It even might include a few cows!
The trousseau is a dowry of bridal garments, but the original meaning was simply a bundle or package, and it did not acquire its modern meaning until the 1830s, a generation before the painting. The modern meaning suggests something treasured, cherished beyond its commercial value. I would imagine that if you were leaving home for the first time to live with your new spouse, you might take great comfort in pillow cases hand embroidered by your mum – perhaps with a little secret message hidden somewhere to cheer you on.
A Trousseau is also known as a Hope Chest!
2. Something old:
Traditionally, the trousseau was the vessel by which certain commemorative items of clothing were passed on from generation to generation.
The tradition continues for certain weddings to this day. A friend of mine recently incorporated her grandmother’s ivory lace into her wedding dress, thus bringing to New York a treasured piece of her Mexican heritage.
3. Something borrowed:
Your wedding outfit is worn once. It makes a lot of sense to borrow part of it if you can – perhaps a diamond tiara from a dear friend (or the Queen). Garments that survive time and transportation are so antithetical to today’s fast fashion culture that we should reflect on this a little. Few garments we buy now are bought to last. The planned obsolescence of our consumer culture has infected every part of our lives, including what we wear. We buy garments opportunistically, often on a whim, with no intention for them to last more than a wearing or two. When you buy apparel with such indifference, it rewards you with the same meaninglessness. So borrow something meaningful – but don’t forget to give it back! Especially the diamond tiara. Her Majesty commands.
4. Something blue:
Nobody really knows the reason for this except that it happens to rhyme, so we are going with that. A blue stone used to be a popular engagement ring. Princess Diana’s engagement ring was a sapphire.
5. Put a sixpence in your shoe:
If we were lucky, we used to get a serving of Christmas plum pudding with a hidden sixpence wrapped in paper – which stern warnings not to swallow it by mistake and choke. Whoever found the sixpence in their own piece of the pudding on Christmas Day would see it as a sign that they would enjoy wealth and good luck. The story went that if you put it in the bank, by the time you were old enough to marry, you would have a sizeable fortune. At least enough to buy your trousseau.
