toadlessgirl:toadlessgirl:shewhoworshipscarlin:Fashion plate,1883, France.I have so many questions a

toadlessgirl:toadlessgirl:shewhoworshipscarlin:Fashion plate,1883, France.I have so many questions about the cat.I’m going to assume that it is an actual live cat because while they were doing some crazy-ass shit with taxidermy in the 1880s, I still feel like delicate Victorian sensibilities would draw the line at a damn kitten chatelaine.So then why? The lady seems either supremely unconcerned or like she hasn’t even noticed. How has her friend not noticed?Have they noticed and they’re just avoiding eye contact with the cat so as not to spook it? Her friend does look slightly concerned. Did the woman put the cat there on purpose and now her friend is slightly concerned about her life choices?Is the kitten a stowaway? Does the cat want to be there or is it stuck and now doesn’t know what to do?Wouldn’t the cat be more comfortable riding inside the apron pleating? Would draping like that hold a cat’s weight?Why would the artist choose to add the cat? Was this based on something that actually happened? I feel like this had to have actually happened for him to go through the effort of including it.Just so. many. questions.Despite the following corrections I would just like to say that I still feel I raised thoughtful and valid discussion questions, especially for a sleep deprived 3:00am tumblr rant. However…According to The Ladies Treasury, which reproduced the plate for American audiences it is an “artificial cat” which “secures the folds of the tunic on the left side”. I did not notice the matching cat face on the bonnet, designating it as an intentional ‘look’ until after @omgthatdress had already reblogged it.@tranimation is entirely correct that cat taxidermy in fashion was and is a thing, and in fact the trade in domestic cat fur was a disturbingly large industry in the 1880s, but I personally have never seen a full house cat body used in Victorian fashion, which is why I was confused.The use of cat faces (usually exotic cats) in fashion accessories, namely hats, muffs, and purses saw some popularity in the late-Victorian era and experienced a revival in from very appox. the late 30s to the mid-50s (it’s late and I’m not going to research exact dates but I’m basing my starting date from that Schiaparelli ensemble they knocked off in Inglorious Basterds which was I’m pretty sure was f/w38, through the weird whole animal tourist purse fad in the 40s, to the most recent pieces I’ve personally come across which were maybe ‘57 or ‘58). The most interesting example of this I’ve ever personally dealt with was a huge custom-made “look at me my husband went on safari and killed me this” mid-50s tote bag made out of lion head.But yeah. “Artificial cat”. Presumably real fur, which may or may not be actual cat fur, but my personal guess is that it was more along the lines of a stuffed animal made of fur rather that an actual cat that they just stuffed. But my area of expertise is not really weird-ass Victorian house pet taxidermy so who the hell knows?So I’m going to hybrid this new information with @mugwomps theory and say that the blue lady is debuting her new “artificial cat chic” look and her friend is going “Are you suuuure?” -- source link

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