~The Picnic Social~

Amhurst, New York

Saturday Afternoon, June 21st 1890

Today, was a splendid day. Morning began with the whole house was buzzing with looming excitement as aromas of all sorts of delightful pastries and meats floated throughout crevasses and cracks, in the mansion in which I live. Today was the day of the Amhurst picnic social. Weeks of planing finally came to an end with this joyous event! I wished to savor every moment.

Curricles, barouches, Landaus, and even some town coaches lined up in rows as ladies and gentlemen gathered together with their baskets of china and food, to await the signal of their hostess. I, being the hostess had paid attention to every last detail, and insured that all was according to plan. My entrance was grand, dressed in the perfect picnic colours of white and navy with a lovely lace parasol, gloves and a a grey and navy shawl, in case of cooler weather. For although I had thought of everything and made certain that all would be just right, there was two things of which I had no control.

The weather, as I mentioned to be the first thing of which I had no control, and the second was Fredrick Samuel James Baldwin of the Baldwins of Amhurst. Mr. Baldwin, though from a long line of Baldwins in the area a Amhurst, had not actually been to his home for many years. He had been sent away to school, and was later rumored to have go off to sea for a

few years. I wondered,Would he come to the picnic? He had been invited, and if he did come would he be much changed from the boy I used to play with when I was a little girl. These where the two things i could not control and the two things that started the whole story…..

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The Picnic Social dress is made of a full starched blouse and a changeable silk A-line skirt. The A-line skirt became popular in the 1890s. Below are pictures ranging from 1890-1892.

The dress required the medium sized hoops, also I made a petticoat edged in lace.

The petticoat is made of heavy white cotton, made in two part joined. The lower part is actually a tablecloth edged in lace. As you can see from the pictures, the skirt can be worn straight or with drapery effect poofs. The poofs are created by tying ribbons together on the underside of the skirt.