HONEST WOMEN

You will notice that before I finally sculpted these much-needed bystanders, the staid and dour pioneer women, I went straight for the plunging necklines and frilly unmentionables of the saloon gals. Well, in a display of admirable restraint, I have dressed these ladies in boring, but historically accurate clothing carefully researched from among photos of reenactors, sutler's catalogues, and reference books.

What to expect when you're expecting? If you live on the frontier, endless drudgery!

Items of note include the aprons and bonnets, ever present in the honest woman's wardrobe. The fabric is often  light "gingham", which came in many patterns, including some very pretty polka-dots (to die for). The white on blue, and yellow on rusty-red are straight from the pattern books.  These aren't difficult to paint, and make you look like Michaelangelo.

Oh, what the hell, here are the saloon girls:

I had to research underwear for that pack; it wasn't easy, because Osprey doesn't have a book on Victorian underwear; at least not in the Men-at-Arms series.


Adios,
Forrest Harris
Knuckleduster

OUTSIDE LINKS:
CATALOG PAGE FOR PIONEER WOMEN
CATALOG PAGE FOR SOILED DOVES