19th Century Seamstress

Chapter 13

As Christmas approached, the streets of New York buzzed with the festive rush of the season. After finishing her shift, Eloise made her way to a fabric store known for its fine, high-end textiles, noted in the newspapers as being somewhat affordable compared to its competitors. Although the store wasn’t far from the Ritz Hotel, where she worked, she chose to walk rather than pay two cents for a tram ride—every penny counted in her budget.

The store was an elegant red-brick building with white plaster wall trims and columns framing the entrance. As she entered, she was aware of the difference in the clientele; middle-class women idly browsed through fabric bolts, possibly buying for small embroidery projects or Christmas decorations. Eloise, however, wanted to remain inconspicuous. She quietly browsed the fabrics, avoiding a well-dressed woman in a cashmere coat, while carefully taking note of the fine clothing these women wore, observing through the store’s mirrors.

The store wasn’t large, with two rows of shelves and walls lined with rolls of fabric, each carefully wound on wooden boards. The scent of cologne lingered in the air, and potted ferns filled the corners of the room. A male clerk, who seemed rather uninterested in her, waited nearby, busy assisting the well-dressed customer.

When the other customer finally left, Eloise approached the counter and listed her selections in quick succession: “One-third of a yard of muslin, one-third of a yard of satin, and half a yard of cotton.”

"That small amount? Are you sure it’s enough? Why not just get a full yard of the cotton?" the clerk suggested with a disinterested shrug.

“No, just what I asked for,” Eloise replied, taking a handful of coins from her pocket.

Though seemingly reluctant, the clerk complied. He fetched the fabrics, measuring and cutting with a long pair of scissors, and wrapped each piece neatly in paper before handing her a larger bag for convenience. At three dollars and seventy cents, her purchases—while not enough for a full dress—were still costly. Quality fabric prices were beyond the means of many, with one new cotton dress per season considered a luxury for most working-class families.

For Eloise, who had recently arrived in New York, this was the most she’d spent on materials. After returning home, she promptly began drafting her design—a modern brassiere. Although corsets were still in use, they had begun evolving in the past few decades toward softer, less rigid designs, and a New York tailor had even created a simpler model a few years back. Eloise intended to refine this design further.

As dusk set in, she picked up Bella from school. On their way home, she asked the child about her day, feeling pleased to hear about the lunch of bread and eggs, boiled sausage, and Bella’s spelling lessons. Later, back at home, Bella joined in on helping to knead dough for a family dinner of r****h-filled pastries fried in rich, rendered pork fat, a recipe Eloise had learned from a French colleague in exchange for laundry help.

That evening, Eloise’s aunt and cousin returned from work with their Christmas gifts from the hotel: a box of teeth-cleaning powder and a bottle of olive oil, respectively. Eloise couldn’t help but laugh ruefully, comparing these to her own sour-tasting chocolate bar.

As the night deepened and the family prepared for bed, Eloise asked Louise for a favor: to try on her newly designed brassiere. Though it was still a prototype, without lining or interior padding, Louise found it surprisingly comfortable and noted that it felt lighter than the typical undergarments worn under evening gowns. Satisfied with the fit and feedback, Eloise felt reassured that she was on the right track.

The house soon fell quiet, and with renewed confidence, Eloise drifted off to sleep, eager to bring her designs to a new audience.

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