Suggested to post here after I previously posted in /r/SCA.
I am writing a research paper on the poetry of Liz Lochhead (a focus on characterization through clothing), and was intrigued by mention of "damped muslin." It seemed to be a choice in fashion, especially after I found one mention of it on a blog for fashion history. However, I was having difficulty finding mention of it elsewhere.
One comment on my previous post was as follows:
Sorry, after further Googling, damped lined first seems to be the way to wash and clean it. After drying, the linen was damped, presumably to loosen the crinkling that linen seems to do. This is instead if ironing, for example.^1
Also, it seems that damped linen is used in the treatment of skin disorders, and after childbirth^2
This was the type of information I was looking for. I also got the following comment, but it lacks a source that I wanted:
Regency girls would dampen their (muslin) petticoats to make them cling and more sexy.
Any information is wholly appreciated. This started as a quest for school, but I have become honestly interested in it now!
I've heard the "wet t-shirt" theories several times, however I do not believe it is true. Regency dress made from muslin tend to be extremely thin and clingy (especially without the pannier of the previous era). Many people observed this and it was met with some ridicule like this cartoon depicts. However most decent women would wear heavier petticoat and chemise to avoid this and a lot of undergarments and patterns from this time survived to reasonably assume thicker petticoats were worn by many for modesty. Deliberating wetting the dress would defeat the purpose.
