akilah barrett yet her name was never acknowledged in the art once her Uncle passed away. In family inventory records, little after her uncles death, the artwork was titled as Lady Elizabeth and her servant (can’t remember exactly) and then later years, she was not even mentioned at all. She was completely forgotten. The true artist also wasn’t credited until recently as well.
What's sad is the same stuff still goes on today (i.e., Black people dressed to the 9s and still seen as some version of "the help"). People just see a person's race and make assumptions.
@@omfug7148 The nobility weren't going to have their closest servants be seen in rags. Wealthy nobles at the times would dress up their most important slaves, servants, staff in order to show off their wealth. That's where the term "colored aristocracy" came from. The slaves, servants, staff who weren't dress up and did go about in rags weren't part of that colored aristocracy.
If you look at the fruits Dido Belle carries, there are grapes, figs, and either peaches or oranges. Grapes and figs are both symbols not only of wealth and prosperity, but of family and fertility, same with peaches, and orange (blossom) has long been associated with weddings/family joinings. Look also the pose of the two girls. Her cousin not only touches her, but holds her arm in a very affectionate, almost sisterly gesture which also almost touches the bowl of family-related fruits. A "Mistress and maid" situation would NEVER have such a gentle, affectionate gesture showing, both would be very properly "in their place". With all of this, I believe Dido was being very beautifully acknowledged as "A fruit of the family", yet in a way that wouldn't cause a destructive scandal.
I also like to look at the pose as Elizabeth pulling her into being included in the painting as her equal. Like her wanting to share this space with Dido and have her be acknowledged as much as she was. And the smile is Dido's answer. There's also something they didn't touch on when they were showing the servant painting vs Dido and Elizabeth and that's the visual contrast. With the servant painting and almost every other similar painting that includes a black servant/slave, they are always set against a dark background that is similar in value (and even sometimes almost the same color altogether) to their complexion. This is 100% a deliberate artistic choice to make sure the white person stays the sole focal point and doesn't lose any attention from the viewer. This also makes the servant recede into the setting as to be nothing more than a somewhat fancier prop. In this painting however, Elizabeth has contrast against the dark foliage but when we get to Dido, she is out of the foliage and into the light blue sky which contrasts her complexion and makes her pop. She stands out from the background in exactly the same way as Elizabeth does, even though the artist could have easily not included this background change.
Think the the the dress was, a costumish choice to add to her standing out rather than fading into the background. The contrast of her dark skin with the shimming cloth just jumps out at you. Also the choice of type of dress walks the lane too, The painter couldnt dress her exactly as a legitimate born lady, nor a high born white lady, because those out side the family wouldnt like her being presented as an equal. So they cleverly chose a style which was upto date, fashionable, but wasnt as ostentatious, still making sure it was made from the finest of materials.
"She is neither handsome nor gentile." I mean thats a lot coming from a guy that looks like he primarily eats raw flour straight from the bag with a spoon but continue. edit, 2921: thank you for the likes! sorry if i came off as mean, i hope its clear that i was kidding!
They didn't do Dido's dress any justice...zooming in you see that there is a green/gold embellished outer type bustier thing going on. Her gown has a sheer ruffled lining too. Her blue scarf was much more fine and translucent and her head wrap had gold star like embellishments. Even as the daughter of a slave and illegitimate, I highly doubt she'd be wearing a robe in the painting.
Diamond Browne you are so right,!!!!! And is it just me or do you think there would be some gathering of the skirt too? The skirt look so much bigger and Shapley, and it looks as if it would move SO much more than what the seamstress made. I agree that they missed some important aspects. Their creation is still beautiful but the dress in the paintings is just, wow. So crazy beautiful. She SHINES. Thanks for pointing this out by the way, great observation!!
@@grittykitty50 That was more about power and control. That was mostly slave owners raping their slaves. Although there were some that could see beyond it, there was a general acceptance that whiteness was good, and darkness was bad. Women wanted white skin, would wear gloves to maintain their white hands. Darkness was universally seen as ugly and lower class.
The dress they created compared to what we can see of Dido's dress in the photograph.... Just falls short. Looks like they made a silk bathrobe, slapped a sash on it and called it a day. Dido's dress looks more closely to a near off-the-shoulder boat neck, wrap-around...than this robe they created. Not to be overly critical but...they've made much more attractive garments than this one.
I know right!? If you pay attention to the dress at the top it looks as if a chemise is showing, it's translucent and looks like muslin or something similar. They didn't include this detail. Also the shawl looks like something you would get at any clothing store lol. I've loved all of their clothing recreations but this one didn't blow me away. It looks lazily done and not researched enough.
EXACTLY! i dunno maybe i've watched too many costume dramas, but i see Dido's dress so clearly in my mind... and yes they have made much more attractive garments.
Well there were several lackluster moments that forewarned of a less than stellar dress production would come. Such as the laughter after referring to Dido as an "eNIGma"... Very tacky , obvious and unsophisticated ladies. Bravo
I can’t help but wonder how Dido’s mother’s life turned out -- did she at least know that her daughter lived a comfortable and decent (if somewhat strained and ‘separate’) life as an illegitimate poor relation in a very wealthy family.
Tina the mother died when Dido was between 3-5. The father kept the mother as but she was still a slave legally. He did however take care of Dido and recognized her legally as his child so Dido was free and she was able to inherit her fathers money. Dido also ended up marrying fairly well.
Yes, Dido married a French guy who worked as a steward or estate manager. One of their sons became a captain or higher in the British Army. She died young by our standards -- 43 -- but that wasn't unusual at the time.
If they make more of these, I would love to see an examination and recreation of one of the dresses of one of the two elder daughters of Tsar Nicholas II from a photo session in spring 1914
My 4 times great grandmother was African brought to England her name was Sarah , she came from Seher Senegal Africa . She was freed when the law changed and married she had 3 children Elizabeth her daughter was my 3 times great grandmother. They lived in Wiltshire .
Dido was in an awkward middle position: not quite on one side nor the other. I think the portrait conveys the ambiguity of her situation really well. People that say the two women are portrayed as equals I think are wrong. They're portrayed as close and affectionate, but not quite equals. From the clothes they're wearing to their posture; they are painted as different.
exactly 😒 I don't get why why people wanted to tell lies about her we know she's not equal and like the slvery situation at this time was pretty clear. her uncle left dido 500 but left lady Elizabeth murray 10000 lol... and lady Eliz father is to inherit everything
This is such a good series. I like the way the portraits are researched carefully and the garments experimented with in order to recreate hidden elements. From what I've been able to find about Dido, it sounds like she was treated like a poor relation, who were often used as ladies' companions. The visitor who was quoted noted she did not dine with the company but joined them afterward, and he also said (not repeated on the show) that she was sent on numerous errands during the evening. We know she was a working member of the household, since she managed the dairy and poultry, and was used as a secretary. When the uncle died she was given 500 pounds - a lot of money - but the cousin got 10,000. And the uncle specifically confirmed her freedom in his will, because back in the colonies she was still legally a slave!
issnt is also that the turban is used to manage the hair in a way that is familiar to the society at the time. they would not have known how to manage black hair properly and a bonnet or turban would have been an easy way to achieve a familiar look to high society. hoping i do not offend anyone, just pointing out a maybe why of the turban that i not a servant pose.
Anna Hogendoorn i was thinking the same thing! "black/ mixed race hair" would be harder to manage at that time living in a house of people who have no idea how to care for it. and having a turban on to cover would be one way in which she could be presentable to herself and to others.
No, there was ways, heck, even slaves in the Americas did their hair and knew how to care for it. It was just how black hair was deemed unattractive, unprofessional, and not upper class.
@@Udontkno7 If she was never taught by a black person she would not know how to care for it. Also she probably could not wear a wig bc she would not have known how to lay her hair down the right way with out thre wig looking out of place. Black hair grows out and up so you cant just slap a wig on without braiding the hair down first. But you would think there were some black servents who could help her out.
She’s definitely wearing some kind of bodice that the costumers did not attempt to recreate (because they didn’t notice?). Their interpretation really does look like a fancy dress version of a gown from that era.
julie purves yes I looked up the painting myself & you can see some kind of jacket and a beautiful blue like silk scarf trailing in the back round. And I did see the bottoms you were describing.
When it comes to this dress reconstruction, I think they were spot on with it being a bed gown since it was a comfortable garment yet exotic enough to make Dido look different from her cousin yet still being fashionable. Also I couldn't see a waist seam on the dress because of the sash so it was either an elongated jacket or the bed gown made of silk satin, worn over some petticoats and sometimes in a rump or bum pad to create a fashionable shape but much softer.
6:40 ironically is also painting of another Lady Elizabeth Murray. she is probably distantly related to Dido's Murrays, she had married and become Lady Tollamache then remarried became Duchess of Lauderdale
I'd like to think that this was just Dido in one of her nicer dresses, that this was her choice, and what you're seeing is two young ladies in their respective formal attire. Especially after hearing the bit about the account books, I think she was well regarded enough to not have been put up to this. This wasn't forced on her. Really really fascinating no matter which way you look at it.
Joseph Karl--In the US South, a dark-skinned girl as a companion to a planter's daughter wasn't at all unusual, nor was letting the "companion" wear a daughter's cast-off finery, sometimes refurbished or restyled and sometimes not. Since the planter's code of behavior (and their accents) was modeled on the British aristocracy, it's possible that "Dido Belle" was such a confidante/companion as the English model the Southern planters followed. Her "allowance", if you will, at the time was 20 British pounds per year, (equivalent to £3,481.24 in 2018). Not a Croesus-like sum, but she also enjoyed meals and lodging and keep. So, pocket money of the equivalent of almost 3500 British pounds per year--discretionary funds, if you will--isn't at all shabby. How many British teens get that in an allowance per year?
Milk&Honey--Obviously, your reading comprehension skills need work. At NO TIME, did I say she was enslaved. In your rush to snark, you missed the point of what I wrote. The USA Southern planters selected promising young black female slaves as companions to their daughters. These young women could--and did, in some instances--get a rudimentary education, sometimes at the hands of their white companions. I might remind you that "Dido Belle" was the DAUGHTER of a slave. Even if her father were white, the fact that she was born to a slave would make her a slave. Certainly, her position was totally predicated on the generosity of the family with whom she made her home. Furthermore, the USA Southern planters based their social mores and customs on the British aristocracy. Finally, her guardian/uncle gave her FREEDOM on his demise, something he would not have had to do if she were a freeborn woman and NOT the daughter of a slave. Now do run along, dearie. Find someone with less background and education than I have to snark at. I am engaging the IGNORE option on a troll like YOU.
This was an excellent episode. Before this show, I have never heard of Dido Belle. You could tell she was very passionate about finding the history of this unique woman in history. The way she modeled that gown at the end, totally honored her. Loved it.
It feels almost like they over-simplified the dress, especially in the neckline. I don't really see the dressing-gown aspect in what's presented, even as obscured as it is. It looks far too informal on the host for a portrait, even if it were fancy dress.
The producers chose this dress because it has to do with a "black" person, even though nobody in this world could ever figure out what Dido was actually wearing in that painting.
It felt more like a fancy chemise then a fancy evening gown.. Little sad. With more care for detail it couldve helped the dress look just this tiny bit better.
@@MarinaEariel I thought it was lace or something too at first, but a second longer look, it just looks like whatever she is wearing underneath the dress, just a bit bunched and ruffled near the hem.
I think they missed the mark on this one. The dress is nothing like the portrait, except for the fabric. The neck is clearly NOTHING like the painting!
YA! Rather she was black or white, so on...if a maid showed up in that..she would be shot! XD "KNOW YOU PLACE" let alone be able to pose for painting with her mistress. When I saw that paint, as a kid. Before I learned the history ages later, I knew something was up. I was 10 and I was "she is so not a maid"
People see her skin colour in the portrait and immediately assumed that she was a maid. But what maid would dressed in silk and pearl necklace? Racism is seeing one thing, and immediately assumed the rest of the story. What an injustice to the memory of Dido Belle.
this is what happen when uneducated people comment, there was a tradition in painting and real life when they dressed black slaves in silk and pearl necklace, to show off their wealth and status (black slave attendant was seen as the pinnacle of high taste and extravagance) they were also painted into their master's paintings again to show off their wealth, usually they always wore turban and exotic clothes, holding tray of flower or fruits.
@@Queenofobscurepairings this is what happen when uneducated people comment, there was a tradition in painting and real life when they dressed black slaves in silk and pearl necklace, to show off their wealth and status (black slave attendant was seen as the pinnacle of high taste and extravagance) they were also painted into their master's paintings again to show off their wealth, usually they always wore turban and exotic clothes, holding tray of fruit
I'm questioning if the bowl of fruit was what the artist originally had in Dido's arms. If you look at the painting facing the light, it has a duller sheen than the rest of the painting. I'm an artist, and when I've gone back to paint over or change something it often is duller or shinier than what is on the rest of the canvas.
Having seen another documentary on Dido (herself) ... this subject was brought up again. It was suggested and investigated that the painter had used the same type of dress style and turban in other painting that features rich White ladies. So this may have been a style attributed to the painter as well as a common trend during that time. Perhaps Elizabeth preferred her style of dress and Dido liked the current fashion. He was also known for having the subject to put a finger on the checks and face. It was also suggested the sash and the turban cloth may have been props from the painter that he normally used while painting. It may lead to ask that during the commission of a painting was it common place for painter's to suggest clothing or styles or were they told what to do? I am sure the painter may have been shocked to find he was painting Dido to show the equality. Would he have an issue with this?
stop trying to sugar coat it! just from the inheritance left by their uncle it spoke volume! he left dido 500p left Lady Elizabeth 10000p. left his secretary or something 1000p... more than Dido. if this is unequal then idk what is... also Lady Elizabeth married first to a rich Aristocratic men who would in time inherited a large fortune and title of his grandfather from his unmarried cousin
fashion historian have agreed that exotic clothing and turban worn by rich white people vs worn by black people have completely different meaning and connotation, for black people its to indicate them as exotic pet or slave, this was supported by paintings where both the master and slave wore turban, but the black one is lower, not to mention there was long tradition of clothing black slave in turban before it became a trend among white people.
The basket of fruit was a trope used in depiction of slaves and servants. Plus. The other girls extended hand, is she catching Dido to hold her there or sending her away? Those with the difference of dress and turban added weight to the idea that it was a master & servant situation.
It is a fabulous painting. It stirs both positive and negative emotions in me. Given the time period and knowing of the deplorable treatment to the people and forcing slavery on them we can never really know what the gown represented or even if it represented anything at all. As said maybe the family could only show so much "equality" in the relationship. (Equality isn't the correct word but I can't think of what would fit)
Dutchgram Dido was actually very wealthy and inherited her fathers money. Her cousin on the other hand had only the family name and no money. The white cousin was possibly shown more prominent so that guest in the home would notice her and possibly see her as a future wife for a son or grandson.
@@germyw well recent research showed she married a servant lmao, making her a wife of a servant, in 18th century you had to assume your husband's status, so she was of servant class now
Actually, she looks MORE expensive in every way imaginable. Her cousin is wearing a pretty average dress whereas Dido is wearing a VERY VERY VERY fashionable more 'couture' garment. A La Turque was the RAGE among the elite. Theres portraits of French princesses wearing similar things and in many of Gainsborough and Reynolds portraits of the highest ranking women in the aristocracy. Her pearls are also larger...which could be the real pointer of it being 'fancy dress' or imaginary.
@@caligulalonghbottom2629 that's just your delusions lmao, in the movie Dido never wore this maid outfit, she stole and wore her cousin's pink dress lolll
The eccentric wear McQueen and Philip Treacy...think Isabella Blow, Daphne Guinness. This girl wears vintage and her own style...albeit very accessible. Her turban is quite hideous...blue poly velvet. I dont think anyone will be trying to recreate it.
I love this because Dido 's story is rare. If you are African American or Afro Caribbean this how our story start. Like Dido my ancestor was noble enough to ensure that his mixed raced offspring were made free after he died.
After watching Belle when the movie first came out I was soo fascinated with Dido Belle, it was so fulfilling to see that an young biracial women was actually high society. I dunno I just felt a sense of accomplishment for her and her family in a somewhat forward mindset.
@@caligulalonghbottom2629 what the hell? Dido was married to a servant..... a white one sure but Servant none the less.. and he was no different in status if he was black servant
Thank you so much for uploading this fabulous series!!! As a fashion and English history buff, I have enjoyed immensely! Please keep on posting such great videos!
The skill of these dress makers, the fabrics, the history, the paintings! Why are there not more of this series being made. It is a fantastic programme.
Dido's story reminds me of a movie version of Moll Flanders that I saw years ago. A town Mayor adopted Moll, but she served the family dinner and did not get the singing or piano lessons the mayor's biological daughters got, a weird combination of family and servant.
I feel like they got hung up on the "we can't see the front" so much that they didn't really study the painting. You can clearly see that Dido is wearing something around her chest and has a zigzag edge along her waist. You can see it just above Elizabeth's hand. I'm not a historian, I don't know what it would be called, but its obviously a different color and pattern than the rest of the dress.
people don't get that painting isn't picture. the painter at that time are known to exaggerate some fabric or the shape of the garment to give it more nuanced! one of arstictic style popular at that time was rounding of the shoulder as you can see happen to dido
While I think the fabric is fairly spot on- the actual construction of the dress. I definitely saw a kind of corset/vest that could have been under the sash that could have had a beautiful amount of embroidery. I also think the skirt could have been a bit of a fuller maybe 3/4 circle skirt to give some volume and drape.
Portraits are idealized. Its a sultana gown/robe and this is what they looked like in real life. Look up portraits of women wearing them, they always look more sleek but look up any reproduction of them and they look like this... Also look up Peter Lely's portraits of women of the 17th century...what those women are painted in didn't exist period.
I am disappointed. The ‘reproduction’ looks clumsy and more like a dressing gown than the lovely slighter / finer garment worn by Dido Most things they do I love, but not this one. I think the team got it very wrong
Paintings are allegorical... if you look at half of the portraits of the aristocratic women in England in the mid 17th century...you would be very confused since what they are wearing DIDNT EXIST. The cut of Dido's gown does look like a Sultana...a turkish inspired informal gown/robe. You can see them on several 18th century portraits of Ducheses, Countesses etc by Gainsborough and Reynolds. They are usually worn open though...with a 'chemise a la reine' type informal gown under...hence why some people are mentioning a chiffony like underlayer.
You can't really blame them though. This was a difficult dress to do because much of the important details was obscured. Also, the host is wearing it more closed as to what Dido is wearing. The host has very small narrow shoulders while Dido's are much broader. Its not going to translate the same.
In the recreation you missed the lustrous pearl necklace and drop earrings. I think the dress was beautiful, especially after removing the shawl. Thanks for the posting. I love this show.
I rarely complain on any programme or subject and it was so refreshing to see a programme on a subject I just love, It’s niggled me for months so I just have to say it, so sorry to Amber and all in the show, there’s always someone ready to give opinions but on the other hand we all learn from one another and it’s only because this subject is is one my great passions in life. The dress was so wrong , needed to do more research especially on this dress, it was a one off as most dresses and clothing during this period was made for the person, they made a quote saying that they think she was wearing something out of fashion this is so inaccurate , she was wearing the height of fashion for that period just google 1790s ladies dress, the dress they made in the show, it’s shape was all wrong, fashion was just on the change during this period and heading towards the empire line I think this dress was almost empire line crossed over at the front, the back would have had gathering in the middle falling into a short train. I am by no means fully educated in this subject but have had first hand experience modelling genuine antique dresses from this very period, and others in history sorry I can’t show the pics. Would love to see another series like this as it was a great programme, just a tad more research needed.
Youre wrong. Google 18th century sultana gown...this is what they actually looked like. Paintings are idealized but DIdo is CLEARLY wearing a version of a robe a la turque or sultana which were very popular but when painted they seem to be idealized. Its also very clear from her pearl choker that she was painted in an allegorical manner....not reality. Her pearls are HUGE unlike the double real strand ofher cousin. The pearls are a dead giveaway that its allegorical and not to be taken as fact. Look at Peter Lely's portraits...those garments didnt exist in the real world period.
This is a very interesting episode, especially if one thinks the dress Dido's wearing was for the portrait, to make her look exotic, or that it was her wearing the latest fashions. I think it could've been a mix of both, especially since the Robe a la Turque was an exotic style, so it could've been perfect for Dido in the painting.
Its either a robe a la turque or a sultana....its quite obvious and people get so hung up over the fact that the reproduction looks nothing like the portrait but portraits are idealized and this is what robes a la turque or sultanas looked like in real life. ALSO it is most certainly fancy dress or allegorical..that much is obvious. You want to know the kicker and what seals that fact...the pearls. THEY ARE HUGE compared to Lady Elizabeth's real double strand. Dido gets the allegorical nonexistant large strand seen in many paintings, it doesn't mean they ever existed since if every strand of pearls in portraits existed, we'd have a lot more large pearl necklaces in the world but guess what...finding a historic pearl necklace is like finding bigfoot, they are VERY rare.
Wow I always loved the painting of Dido and you guys really gave this subject so much respect and care. Being mixed race myself I always found this painting so interesting. Very well executed. These ladies are masters at their craft. One of the best episodes for sure!
I think, beside possibly being less full, the dress is a pretty faithful recreation.....It's more the presenter, and her vibrant hair and very pale complexion that makes it seem less true.
Oh my gosh... I thought the same thing! I found a pic of the painting that had brighter lighting and you can see soooo much more detail in the front of the bodice. Also around the hip toward the back. Some photo editing software would easily have helped them find more details.
Amber's fashion sense is so on-point and flirts heavily with retro, I love it. Watch her be seen as one of the pioneers of revisiting older fashions and not giving a damn about what others think when articles describe people who set trends.
As you say this I feel it shows how active she seems. Her cousin seems sedate, where Dido seems like she was always moving. Industrious. Someone suggested that the fruit indicated she is the "fruit of the family".
doubtful. the artist probably did a quick sketch of her and posed a dummy with a dress on to finish. I imagine the artist would likely be racist as well and not sit for hours with her in front of him. THat also could explain the more allegorical nature of her ensemble...
Caligula Longhbottom Due to new evidence, I doubt the artist felt that way. She is dressed/illustrated in the same way he would illustrate other women in his portraits at the time. He had Belle dress more expensively that her cousin Elizabeth, whose dress would be considered very plain in comparison to the material and new fashion on Belle’s clothing. He also has his own signature it seems of having the main subject of his portraits wear embellished fabric with a solid color and gold embroidery, which you can see that Belle has one that is blue with gold, consistent with his signature. Another signature of his is hand placement which you can see in at least 4 of his works, as Belle is portrayed to be doing as well. The turban/hair wrap in her hair as well is very similar to a fabric he has used in previous paintings of his, one with a baby wrapped in the fabric and another with an Upper Class lady also wearing the same fabric as part of her outfit. From a perspective, it can be argued that although she is in the background rather than her cousin in the portrait who is posed in a more “classic” pose of the time, she is quite clearly the painters favorite. Once you see his other work, you will notice the similarity. The Artist’s name is David Martin by the way. I apologize for how much I’ve typed by the way. I am not yet fluent in English and have trouble piecing my thoughts together into words.
I just watched this documentary on Amazon. My thoughts: I believe Dido was not "dressed" for this painting, but having known the painting had been commissioned, planned and helped design her own outfit to express who she felt she was in comparison with and "synchrony" with her "white family." She wanted to show and exercise what choices she had, and this would have been one of them. I think Dido was not dressed, but dressed herself for this portrait. ❤
doubt it, her pose was a demeaning one, notice her bowed neck, she was made to lower down compared to Elizabeth despite that she was sitting, then we have Elizabeth holding a book, a statement to her status, while Dido holding a tray of fruits (typical item and clothes for slave in painting), no doubt this painting was far more sympathetic to the black person, but it also showed how they were still lower and had slave heritage. we know that she did wore a very high cap but her dress was normal, either way in real life Elizabeth was given 40,000 and dido given 500pounds and married to a servant, so this painting was right after all
Dido embraced by her family, despite being Black AND illegitimate is shocking, I minored in art history, and I never heard of the story oh, the black girl was considered to be a maid as it was presented to me in art history class
she might as well be. stop trying to sugar coat it! just from the inheritance left by their uncle it spoke volume! he left dido 500pound left Lady Elizabeth 10000pound. left his secretary or something got 1000p... more than Dido. if this is unequal then idk what is... also Lady Elizabeth married first to a rich Aristocratic men who would in time inherited a large fortune and title of his grandfather from his unmarried cousin
I wish they had talked about the available choices for her hair do as a black woman in the XVIII century. Perhaps the turban was also a way of hiding her unruly curly hair?
It would have been interesting if they made both dresses shown in the painting. Just to compare their very different styles that were both "modern" or fashionable at the time,.
Didos look was more fashionable. Queens and duchesses were wearing thse turkish inspired loose gowns or robes at the time... VERY fashionable. Although, there are clues that its allegorical and not literal. As wealthy as her fam was, I doubt they would have purchased her ostrich feathers or a GIANT pearl necklace. The pearl necklace is what gives it away as fancy dress or entirely allegorical. Her pearls are larger than her cousins...
At 22:54."He took Maria under his wing." Huh, what a wonderful euphemism for constant horrific rapes that ended in the poor enslaved woman finally succumbing to the captain's "wing" and then siring his illegitimate daughter. (I severely doubt a woman brutally ripped away from her land, her people and her family to be stashed away on a ship like cattle by these barbaric foreigners would then suddenly want a consensual sexual relationship with one of her captors.) I also love how we're shown such a genteel, dashing picture of the violent rapist while all of this is being described in such delicate language. Don't want to give our modern audiences the vapors. The white-washing (yes, I mean the pun) of this brutal history continues without much questioning...
That is a Tignon, from what is known as Tignon Law. In many colonized societies it was mandatory and other's it was socially acceptable for women of black heritage to wear this, especially if they could possibly pass for another ethnicity. We saw this a lot in Louisiana and the Caribbean. If this family has any dealings with the French, it would probably used as a means to not "offend." Her "husband," John Davinier , has a French last name.
A lovely project as she is surely a very mysterious figure. She does not however seem to be a slave as she looks very confident and at ease in her setting
She definitely wasn't a slave. She was a free woman, and the the cousin of Elizabeth (the woman on the right of the painting) whose family raised her as one of their own, loved her, and treated her as a lady. When her father died, he put in his will that she was a free woman to ensure nobody would dispute it.
@@razzle2429 I hear so many people saying she was ‘freed’, as in- she was a slave before this point, but the language was quite clearly *confirming* her freedom, as in- she was _already_ free, it was just written into the record in black & white so there was **no** dispute...
I absolutely love this series and I would love to work with the the girls in the tailors work room. Amber is brilliant I love her style and ability to wear historical clothing. Keep up the good work girls
"And it was assumed her companion was a maid"
*She's literally draped in pearls in silk*
akilah barrett yet her name was never acknowledged in the art once her Uncle passed away. In family inventory records, little after her uncles death, the artwork was titled as Lady Elizabeth and her servant (can’t remember exactly) and then later years, she was not even mentioned at all. She was completely forgotten. The true artist also wasn’t credited until recently as well.
What's sad is the same stuff still goes on today (i.e., Black people dressed to the 9s and still seen as some version of "the help"). People just see a person's race and make assumptions.
Racism is one helluva drug
What? you mean that slave servants weren't running around in trendy silk dresses and rather enormous pearls in the 18thc, LOL.
@@omfug7148 The nobility weren't going to have their closest servants be seen in rags. Wealthy nobles at the times would dress up their most important slaves, servants, staff in order to show off their wealth. That's where the term "colored aristocracy" came from. The slaves, servants, staff who weren't dress up and did go about in rags weren't part of that colored aristocracy.
If you look at the fruits Dido Belle carries, there are grapes, figs, and either peaches or oranges. Grapes and figs are both symbols not only of wealth and prosperity, but of family and fertility, same with peaches, and orange (blossom) has long been associated with weddings/family joinings. Look also the pose of the two girls. Her cousin not only touches her, but holds her arm in a very affectionate, almost sisterly gesture which also almost touches the bowl of family-related fruits. A "Mistress and maid" situation would NEVER have such a gentle, affectionate gesture showing, both would be very properly "in their place". With all of this, I believe Dido was being very beautifully acknowledged as "A fruit of the family", yet in a way that wouldn't cause a destructive scandal.
I also like to look at the pose as Elizabeth pulling her into being included in the painting as her equal. Like her wanting to share this space with Dido and have her be acknowledged as much as she was. And the smile is Dido's answer.
There's also something they didn't touch on when they were showing the servant painting vs Dido and Elizabeth and that's the visual contrast. With the servant painting and almost every other similar painting that includes a black servant/slave, they are always set against a dark background that is similar in value (and even sometimes almost the same color altogether) to their complexion. This is 100% a deliberate artistic choice to make sure the white person stays the sole focal point and doesn't lose any attention from the viewer. This also makes the servant recede into the setting as to be nothing more than a somewhat fancier prop. In this painting however, Elizabeth has contrast against the dark foliage but when we get to Dido, she is out of the foliage and into the light blue sky which contrasts her complexion and makes her pop. She stands out from the background in exactly the same way as Elizabeth does, even though the artist could have easily not included this background change.
Very interesting!
I‘m new to all of this and completely fascinated by the stories these paintings tell. Thanks for further elaborating!
Great observations...
Think the the the dress was, a costumish choice to add to her standing out rather than fading into the background. The contrast of her dark skin with the shimming cloth just jumps out at you. Also the choice of type of dress walks the lane too, The painter couldnt dress her exactly as a legitimate born lady, nor a high born white lady, because those out side the family wouldnt like her being presented as an equal. So they cleverly chose a style which was upto date, fashionable, but wasnt as ostentatious, still making sure it was made from the finest of materials.
"She is neither handsome nor gentile." I mean thats a lot coming from a guy that looks like he primarily eats raw flour straight from the bag with a spoon but continue.
edit, 2921: thank you for the likes! sorry if i came off as mean, i hope its clear that i was kidding!
and if the picture is accurately drawn, then she is in fact quite beautiful. Gorgeous even
lol
lol for real
I think Dido is beautiful. How could anyone think otherwise?.
@Leigh Barry Nah, I can go one better, it's because some people are nit picking bastards and have nothing better to do with their time.
They didn't do Dido's dress any justice...zooming in you see that there is a green/gold embellished outer type bustier thing going on. Her gown has a sheer ruffled lining too. Her blue scarf was much more fine and translucent and her head wrap had gold star like embellishments. Even as the daughter of a slave and illegitimate, I highly doubt she'd be wearing a robe in the painting.
Diamond Browne you are so right,!!!!! And is it just me or do you think there would be some gathering of the skirt too? The skirt look so much bigger and Shapley, and it looks as if it would move SO much more than what the seamstress made. I agree that they missed some important aspects. Their creation is still beautiful but the dress in the paintings is just, wow. So crazy beautiful. She SHINES. Thanks for pointing this out by the way, great observation!!
She is beautiful, both are beautiful young women. Dido's skin color must have looked luminous in that silk, if that was what she wore.
The neck line is completely different from the portrait, I think obvious details were missed, the silk though seemed the most accurate.
There's also a delicate little chiffon ruffle around the top of the bodice of the gown against her chest.
I was surprised they didn't include the embroidered jacket as well. It seemed very obvious to me.
Dido was incredibly beautiful
When they read that one contemporary say that Dida wasn't beautiful, i was like "What? She's gorgeous!"
I think at the time, dark skin was always considered ugly.😪
@@shariwelch8760 apparently, not always ugly since there was a proliferation of biracial children.
@@grittykitty50 That was more about power and control. That was mostly slave owners raping their slaves. Although there were some that could see beyond it, there was a general acceptance that whiteness was good, and darkness was bad. Women wanted white skin, would wear gloves to maintain their white hands. Darkness was universally seen as ugly and lower class.
@@shariwelch8760 There were some instances when slave owners were attracted to their slaves
“Dido, no...”
“Dido yes~”
XD That’s the vibe I’m getting from this portrait. One girl is reserved and “proper”, and another is a merry mischief maker!
The dress they created compared to what we can see of Dido's dress in the photograph.... Just falls short. Looks like they made a silk bathrobe, slapped a sash on it and called it a day. Dido's dress looks more closely to a near off-the-shoulder boat neck, wrap-around...than this robe they created. Not to be overly critical but...they've made much more attractive garments than this one.
I know right!? If you pay attention to the dress at the top it looks as if a chemise is showing, it's translucent and looks like muslin or something similar. They didn't include this detail. Also the shawl looks like something you would get at any clothing store lol. I've loved all of their clothing recreations but this one didn't blow me away. It looks lazily done and not researched enough.
@@valedan1075 they had so little to go on. the sleeves were marvelous and so was the 'turban'.
EXACTLY! i dunno maybe i've watched too many costume dramas, but i see Dido's dress so clearly in my mind... and yes they have made much more attractive garments.
maybe with a mixed race model wearing it it would have been better
Well there were several lackluster moments that forewarned of a less than stellar dress production would come. Such as the laughter after referring to Dido as an "eNIGma"... Very tacky , obvious and unsophisticated ladies. Bravo
Amber's lowered gaze when the historian mentioned the very common practice of raping slave women spoke volumes.
I can’t help but wonder how Dido’s mother’s life turned out -- did she at least know that her daughter lived a comfortable and decent (if somewhat strained and ‘separate’) life as an illegitimate poor relation in a very wealthy family.
Tina the mother died when Dido was between 3-5. The father kept the mother as but she was still a slave legally. He did however take care of Dido and recognized her legally as his child so Dido was free and she was able to inherit her fathers money. Dido also ended up marrying fairly well.
Yes, Dido married a French guy who worked as a steward or estate manager. One of their sons became a captain or higher in the British Army. She died young by our standards -- 43 -- but that wasn't unusual at the time.
Nada Chance Thank you for this information!
Tina I was a history major and history is also a passion of mine. My hubby says I am a walking episode of jeopardy.
She is a Lady..so marrying beneath wouldn't be allowed.
If they make more of these, I would love to see an examination and recreation of one of the dresses of one of the two elder daughters of Tsar Nicholas II from a photo session in spring 1914
Oof that dress at the end was not it
My 4 times great grandmother was African brought to England her name was Sarah , she came from Seher Senegal Africa .
She was freed when the law changed and married she had 3 children Elizabeth her daughter was my 3 times great grandmother.
They lived in Wiltshire .
Dido was in an awkward middle position: not quite on one side nor the other. I think the portrait conveys the ambiguity of her situation really well. People that say the two women are portrayed as equals I think are wrong. They're portrayed as close and affectionate, but not quite equals. From the clothes they're wearing to their posture; they are painted as different.
exactly 😒 I don't get why why people wanted to tell lies about her we know she's not equal and like the slvery situation at this time was pretty clear. her uncle left dido 500 but left lady Elizabeth murray 10000 lol... and lady Eliz father is to inherit everything
This is such a good series. I like the way the portraits are researched carefully and the garments experimented with in order to recreate hidden elements. From what I've been able to find about Dido, it sounds like she was treated like a poor relation, who were often used as ladies' companions. The visitor who was quoted noted she did not dine with the company but joined them afterward, and he also said (not repeated on the show) that she was sent on numerous errands during the evening. We know she was a working member of the household, since she managed the dairy and poultry, and was used as a secretary. When the uncle died she was given 500 pounds - a lot of money - but the cousin got 10,000. And the uncle specifically confirmed her freedom in his will, because back in the colonies she was still legally a slave!
Lady Elizabeth's hand seems like she's keeping back a cheeky Dido from being mischievous. What a great painting ❤
You can almost hear Elizabeth say 'Oh, Dido! Sit a minute longer!'
issnt is also that the turban is used to manage the hair in a way that is familiar to the society at the time. they would not have known how to manage black hair properly and a bonnet or turban would have been an easy way to achieve a familiar look to high society. hoping i do not offend anyone, just pointing out a maybe why of the turban that i not a servant pose.
Anna Hogendoorn i was thinking the same thing! "black/ mixed race hair" would be harder to manage at that time living in a house of people who have no idea how to care for it. and having a turban on to cover would be one way in which she could be presentable to herself and to others.
I was wondering the same! This would make sense, I think.
Wigs were popular at the time. That would probably be the easiest solution if they were just trying to appear as "white" as possible.
No, there was ways, heck, even slaves in the Americas did their hair and knew how to care for it. It was just how black hair was deemed unattractive, unprofessional, and not upper class.
@@Udontkno7 If she was never taught by a black person she would not know how to care for it. Also she probably could not wear a wig bc she would not have known how to lay her hair down the right way with out thre wig looking out of place. Black hair grows out and up so you cant just slap a wig on without braiding the hair down first. But you would think there were some black servents who could help her out.
i dont know how i stumbled upon these but i cant stop watching them
Dido was wearing a panelled, embroidered jacket with scalloped bottom.You can clearly see it in the painting.
I can't see that at all
She’s definitely wearing some kind of bodice that the costumers did not attempt to recreate (because they didn’t notice?). Their interpretation really does look like a fancy dress version of a gown from that era.
Once I read your comment I completely see it! There is a panel!
julie purves yes I looked up the painting myself & you can see some kind of jacket and a beautiful blue like silk scarf trailing in the back round. And I did see the bottoms you were describing.
When it comes to this dress reconstruction, I think they were spot on with it being a bed gown since it was a comfortable garment yet exotic enough to make Dido look different from her cousin yet still being fashionable. Also I couldn't see a waist seam on the dress because of the sash so it was either an elongated jacket or the bed gown made of silk satin, worn over some petticoats and sometimes in a rump or bum pad to create a fashionable shape but much softer.
6:40 ironically is also painting of another Lady Elizabeth Murray.
she is probably distantly related to Dido's Murrays, she had married and become Lady Tollamache then remarried became Duchess of Lauderdale
I'd like to think that this was just Dido in one of her nicer dresses, that this was her choice, and what you're seeing is two young ladies in their respective formal attire.
Especially after hearing the bit about the account books, I think she was well regarded enough to not have been put up to this. This wasn't forced on her.
Really really fascinating no matter which way you look at it.
Joseph Karl--In the US South, a dark-skinned girl as a companion to a planter's daughter wasn't at all unusual, nor was letting the "companion" wear a daughter's cast-off finery, sometimes refurbished or restyled and sometimes not. Since the planter's code of behavior (and their accents) was modeled on the British aristocracy, it's possible that "Dido Belle" was such a confidante/companion as the English model the Southern planters followed. Her "allowance", if you will, at the time was 20 British pounds per year, (equivalent to £3,481.24 in 2018). Not a Croesus-like sum, but she also enjoyed meals and lodging and keep. So, pocket money of the equivalent of almost 3500 British pounds per year--discretionary funds, if you will--isn't at all shabby. How many British teens get that in an allowance per year?
Milk&Honey--Obviously, your reading comprehension skills need work. At NO TIME, did I say she was enslaved. In your rush to snark, you missed the point of what I wrote. The USA Southern planters selected promising young black female slaves as companions to their daughters. These young women could--and did, in some instances--get a rudimentary education, sometimes at the hands of their white companions. I might remind you that "Dido Belle" was the DAUGHTER of a slave. Even if her father were white, the fact that she was born to a slave would make her a slave. Certainly, her position was totally predicated on the generosity of the family with whom she made her home. Furthermore, the USA Southern planters based their social mores and customs on the British aristocracy. Finally, her guardian/uncle gave her FREEDOM on his demise, something he would not have had to do if she were a freeborn woman and NOT the daughter of a slave. Now do run along, dearie. Find someone with less background and education than I have to snark at. I am engaging the IGNORE option on a troll like YOU.
Joseph Karl ii
Joseph Karl I
This was an excellent episode. Before this show, I have never heard of Dido Belle. You could tell she was very passionate about finding the history of this unique woman in history. The way she modeled that gown at the end, totally honored her. Loved it.
I'd like to see a black woman wearing this gown to really bring to life Dido and her own experience
She’s bi racial
It feels almost like they over-simplified the dress, especially in the neckline. I don't really see the dressing-gown aspect in what's presented, even as obscured as it is. It looks far too informal on the host for a portrait, even if it were fancy dress.
The producers chose this dress because it has to do with a "black" person, even though nobody in this world could ever figure out what Dido was actually wearing in that painting.
The neckline in the painting has lace on it, or perhaps some scalloped, translucent trim.
It felt more like a fancy chemise then a fancy evening gown.. Little sad. With more care for detail it couldve helped the dress look just this tiny bit better.
The painter just made it up. :D
@@MarinaEariel I thought it was lace or something too at first, but a second longer look, it just looks like whatever she is wearing underneath the dress, just a bit bunched and ruffled near the hem.
Dido was so beautiful 😍
I think they missed the mark on this one. The dress is nothing like the portrait, except for the fabric. The neck is clearly NOTHING like the painting!
Even if you look at that painting dido doesn’t look like a servent at all, people just assumed that she was a maid
YA! Rather she was black or white, so on...if a maid showed up in that..she would be shot! XD
"KNOW YOU PLACE" let alone be able to pose for painting with her mistress. When I saw that paint, as a kid. Before I learned the history ages later,
I knew something was up. I was 10 and I was "she is so not a maid"
People see her skin colour in the portrait and immediately assumed that she was a maid. But what maid would dressed in silk and pearl necklace? Racism is seeing one thing, and immediately assumed the rest of the story. What an injustice to the memory of Dido Belle.
this is what happen when uneducated people comment, there was a tradition in painting and real life when they dressed black slaves in silk and pearl necklace, to show off their wealth and status (black slave attendant was seen as the pinnacle of high taste and extravagance) they were also painted into their master's paintings again to show off their wealth, usually they always wore turban and exotic clothes, holding tray of flower or fruits.
@@Queenofobscurepairings this is what happen when uneducated people comment, there was a tradition in painting and real life when they dressed black slaves in silk and pearl necklace, to show off their wealth and status (black slave attendant was seen as the pinnacle of high taste and extravagance) they were also painted into their master's paintings again to show off their wealth, usually they always wore turban and exotic clothes, holding tray of fruit
I'm questioning if the bowl of fruit was what the artist originally had in Dido's arms. If you look at the painting facing the light, it has a duller sheen than the rest of the painting. I'm an artist, and when I've gone back to paint over or change something it often is duller or shinier than what is on the rest of the canvas.
Having seen another documentary on Dido (herself) ... this subject was brought up again. It was suggested and investigated that the painter had used the same type of dress style and turban in other painting that features rich White ladies. So this may have been a style attributed to the painter as well as a common trend during that time. Perhaps Elizabeth preferred her style of dress and Dido liked the current fashion. He was also known for having the subject to put a finger on the checks and face. It was also suggested the sash and the turban cloth may have been props from the painter that he normally used while painting. It may lead to ask that during the commission of a painting was it common place for painter's to suggest clothing or styles or were they told what to do? I am sure the painter may have been shocked to find he was painting Dido to show the equality. Would he have an issue with this?
stop trying to sugar coat it!
just from the inheritance left by their uncle it spoke volume! he left dido 500p left Lady Elizabeth 10000p.
left his secretary or something 1000p... more than Dido.
if this is unequal then idk what is... also Lady Elizabeth married first to a rich Aristocratic men who would in time inherited a large fortune and title of his grandfather from his unmarried cousin
fashion historian have agreed that exotic clothing and turban worn by rich white people vs worn by black people have completely different meaning and connotation, for black people its to indicate them as exotic pet or slave, this was supported by paintings where both the master and slave wore turban, but the black one is lower, not to mention there was long tradition of clothing black slave in turban before it became a trend among white people.
Omg how did I miss this amazing show. It’s exactly my taste, history and fashion and reconstruction of past events or processes, just perfect!!!!!
11:39 measuring tape as belt - classic seamstress daily lives lol
The basket of fruit was a trope used in depiction of slaves and servants. Plus. The other girls extended hand, is she catching Dido to hold her there or sending her away? Those with the difference of dress and turban added weight to the idea that it was a master & servant situation.
It is a fabulous painting. It stirs both positive and negative emotions in me. Given the time period and knowing of the deplorable treatment to the people and forcing slavery on them we can never really know what the gown represented or even if it represented anything at all. As said maybe the family could only show so much "equality" in the relationship. (Equality isn't the correct word but I can't think of what would fit)
Dutchgram Dido was actually very wealthy and inherited her fathers money. Her cousin on the other hand had only the family name and no money. The white cousin was possibly shown more prominent so that guest in the home would notice her and possibly see her as a future wife for a son or grandson.
She wasn't a servant! Why do people keep insisting this when you were told otherwise?
Dutchgram Her story is so interesting her grandfather was a judge in the Supreme Court of England her story inspired him to abolish slavery in England
Slavery was almost universal at the time. It's sad but it's how things were.
@@germyw well recent research showed she married a servant lmao, making her a wife of a servant, in 18th century you had to assume your husband's status, so she was of servant class now
It would’ve been scandalous to have Dido wearing a similar dress to her cousin. They tried to make her look expensive in a less tangible way.
Actually, she looks MORE expensive in every way imaginable. Her cousin is wearing a pretty average dress whereas Dido is wearing a VERY VERY VERY fashionable more 'couture' garment. A La Turque was the RAGE among the elite. Theres portraits of French princesses wearing similar things and in many of Gainsborough and Reynolds portraits of the highest ranking women in the aristocracy. Her pearls are also larger...which could be the real pointer of it being 'fancy dress' or imaginary.
@@caligulalonghbottom2629 that's just your delusions lmao, in the movie Dido never wore this maid outfit, she stole and wore her cousin's pink dress lolll
In 100 years, they would be recreating the host's outfits. "This was how the eccentric dressed back in the day ... "
The eccentric wear McQueen and Philip Treacy...think Isabella Blow, Daphne Guinness. This girl wears vintage and her own style...albeit very accessible. Her turban is quite hideous...blue poly velvet. I dont think anyone will be trying to recreate it.
I love this because Dido 's story is rare. If you are African American or Afro Caribbean this how our story start. Like Dido my ancestor was noble enough to ensure that his mixed raced offspring were made free after he died.
After watching Belle when the movie first came out I was soo fascinated with Dido Belle, it was so fulfilling to see that an young biracial women was actually high society. I dunno I just felt a sense of accomplishment for her and her family in a somewhat forward mindset.
If you ever get the chance, go to Scone Palace and you can see the actual painting! It's so nice and the palace has a lot of souvenirs about her.
Dido obviously didnt want her children to be black cause her married a white man.😆😆😆
@@bluesky-pb9di Why the hell would she marry a black man and go down in society, literally nobody in their right mind married below their class.
@@caligulalonghbottom2629 what the hell? Dido was married to a servant..... a white one sure but Servant none the less.. and he was no different in status if he was black servant
Thank you so much for uploading this fabulous series!!! As a fashion and English history buff, I have enjoyed immensely! Please keep on posting such great videos!
Good for you, Lord Mansfield, for liberating this very interesting woman!
The skill of these dress makers, the fabrics, the history, the paintings! Why are there not more of this series being made. It is a fantastic programme.
I want her fruit necklace shes wearing through out this episode!
Dido's story reminds me of a movie version of Moll Flanders that I saw years ago. A town Mayor adopted Moll, but she served the family dinner and did not get the singing or piano lessons the mayor's biological daughters got, a weird combination of family and servant.
I feel like they got hung up on the "we can't see the front" so much that they didn't really study the painting. You can clearly see that Dido is wearing something around her chest and has a zigzag edge along her waist. You can see it just above Elizabeth's hand. I'm not a historian, I don't know what it would be called, but its obviously a different color and pattern than the rest of the dress.
people don't get that painting isn't picture. the painter at that time are known to exaggerate some fabric or the shape of the garment to give it more nuanced! one of arstictic style popular at that time was rounding of the shoulder as you can see happen to dido
Ms Amber Butchart is a wonderfully good presenter and should do many more of these programmes.
Just when you get a little optimistic for Dido, history reminds us 😢
she is treated better than 99.9% of her race
This is one of the most interesting series I’ve seen on CZcams
Excellent! It looks like the same cotton mill used in North and South too! I can almost see Mr. Thornton wandering around.
That library is my idea of Heaven.
wish they would have steamed the dress before she put it on.
Dido was stunningly beautiful
Wow. What a brilliant presenter!
While I think the fabric is fairly spot on- the actual construction of the dress. I definitely saw a kind of corset/vest that could have been under the sash that could have had a beautiful amount of embroidery. I also think the skirt could have been a bit of a fuller maybe 3/4 circle skirt to give some volume and drape.
Portraits are idealized. Its a sultana gown/robe and this is what they looked like in real life. Look up portraits of women wearing them, they always look more sleek but look up any reproduction of them and they look like this... Also look up Peter Lely's portraits of women of the 17th century...what those women are painted in didn't exist period.
Thank you so much for this. A lovely series.
I am disappointed. The ‘reproduction’ looks clumsy and more like a dressing gown than the lovely slighter / finer garment worn by Dido
Most things they do I love, but not this one. I think the team got it very wrong
Me too.. The neckline looks quite wrong. The neckline is so much wider, opening out towards the edges of the shoulders...
Paintings are allegorical... if you look at half of the portraits of the aristocratic women in England in the mid 17th century...you would be very confused since what they are wearing DIDNT EXIST. The cut of Dido's gown does look like a Sultana...a turkish inspired informal gown/robe. You can see them on several 18th century portraits of Ducheses, Countesses etc by Gainsborough and Reynolds. They are usually worn open though...with a 'chemise a la reine' type informal gown under...hence why some people are mentioning a chiffony like underlayer.
You can't really blame them though. This was a difficult dress to do because much of the important details was obscured. Also, the host is wearing it more closed as to what Dido is wearing. The host has very small narrow shoulders while Dido's are much broader. Its not going to translate the same.
the turban seems to be made, in part at least, with a gold embroidered sheer fabric. vs. actual gold jewels.
Just from the picture alone you can tell that Dido was probably a very beautiful young woman this episode about Dido belle is my favourite
I purchased the film on CZcams a few months ago. An incredibly powerful film. 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
it was 90%fake though I suggest you read about her wikipedia it's far more accurate
In the recreation you missed the lustrous pearl necklace and drop earrings. I think the dress was beautiful, especially after removing the shawl. Thanks for the posting. I love this show.
I would love to see Ms. Butchart’s personal closet and her favorite pieces and where she found them.
I rarely complain on any programme or subject and it was so refreshing to see a programme on a subject I just love, It’s niggled me for months so I just have to say it, so sorry to Amber and all in the show, there’s always someone ready to give opinions but on the other hand we all learn from one another and it’s only because this subject is is one my great passions in life. The dress was so wrong , needed to do more research especially on this dress, it was a one off as most dresses and clothing during this period was made for the person, they made a quote saying that they think she was wearing something out of fashion this is so inaccurate , she was wearing the height of fashion for that period just google 1790s ladies dress, the dress they made in the show, it’s shape was all wrong, fashion was just on the change during this period and heading towards the empire line I think this dress was almost empire line crossed over at the front, the back would have had gathering in the middle falling into a short train. I am by no means fully educated in this subject but have had first hand experience modelling genuine antique dresses from this very period, and others in history sorry I can’t show the pics. Would love to see another series like this as it was a great programme, just a tad more research needed.
Agreed she was at the height of fashion and it's even closer to 1800's fashion even the turban
Youre wrong. Google 18th century sultana gown...this is what they actually looked like. Paintings are idealized but DIdo is CLEARLY wearing a version of a robe a la turque or sultana which were very popular but when painted they seem to be idealized. Its also very clear from her pearl choker that she was painted in an allegorical manner....not reality. Her pearls are HUGE unlike the double real strand ofher cousin. The pearls are a dead giveaway that its allegorical and not to be taken as fact. Look at Peter Lely's portraits...those garments didnt exist in the real world period.
@@caligulalonghbottom2629 Ive been looking and researching this gown, as I have to agree with you! I think Dido does in fact wear the sultana gown!
This is a very interesting episode, especially if one thinks the dress Dido's wearing was for the portrait, to make her look exotic, or that it was her wearing the latest fashions. I think it could've been a mix of both, especially since the Robe a la Turque was an exotic style, so it could've been perfect for Dido in the painting.
Its either a robe a la turque or a sultana....its quite obvious and people get so hung up over the fact that the reproduction looks nothing like the portrait but portraits are idealized and this is what robes a la turque or sultanas looked like in real life. ALSO it is most certainly fancy dress or allegorical..that much is obvious. You want to know the kicker and what seals that fact...the pearls. THEY ARE HUGE compared to Lady Elizabeth's real double strand. Dido gets the allegorical nonexistant large strand seen in many paintings, it doesn't mean they ever existed since if every strand of pearls in portraits existed, we'd have a lot more large pearl necklaces in the world but guess what...finding a historic pearl necklace is like finding bigfoot, they are VERY rare.
omg.... i lalalalove this series
I know Amber Butchart is the presenter of this show, but who would of liked to seen a black model wear that dress?
Wow I always loved the painting of Dido and you guys really gave this subject so much respect and care. Being mixed race myself I always found this painting so interesting. Very well executed. These ladies are masters at their craft. One of the best episodes for sure!
That dress looks nothing like the one Dido is wearing.
I think, beside possibly being less full, the dress is a pretty faithful recreation.....It's more the presenter, and her vibrant hair and very pale complexion that makes it seem less true.
Oh my gosh... I thought the same thing! I found a pic of the painting that had brighter lighting and you can see soooo much more detail in the front of the bodice. Also around the hip toward the back. Some photo editing software would easily have helped them find more details.
Exactly
My thing is beads, and I was pretty disappointed with the round white pearls they stuck on the turban.
Yikes! What a mess. I agree with monjiaitaly
Amber's fashion sense is so on-point and flirts heavily with retro, I love it. Watch her be seen as one of the pioneers of revisiting older fashions and not giving a damn about what others think when articles describe people who set trends.
I absolutely love this series!
Thank you for this serie
Everytime I see that portrait I can only think that Dido was in a really uncomfortable position to be held for hours.
As you say this I feel it shows how active she seems. Her cousin seems sedate, where Dido seems like she was always moving. Industrious. Someone suggested that the fruit indicated she is the "fruit of the family".
doubtful. the artist probably did a quick sketch of her and posed a dummy with a dress on to finish. I imagine the artist would likely be racist as well and not sit for hours with her in front of him. THat also could explain the more allegorical nature of her ensemble...
Caligula Longhbottom Due to new evidence, I doubt the artist felt that way. She is dressed/illustrated in the same way he would illustrate other women in his portraits at the time. He had Belle dress more expensively that her cousin Elizabeth, whose dress would be considered very plain in comparison to the material and new fashion on Belle’s clothing. He also has his own signature it seems of having the main subject of his portraits wear embellished fabric with a solid color and gold embroidery, which you can see that Belle has one that is blue with gold, consistent with his signature. Another signature of his is hand placement which you can see in at least 4 of his works, as Belle is portrayed to be doing as well. The turban/hair wrap in her hair as well is very similar to a fabric he has used in previous paintings of his, one with a baby wrapped in the fabric and another with an Upper Class lady also wearing the same fabric as part of her outfit. From a perspective, it can be argued that although she is in the background rather than her cousin in the portrait who is posed in a more “classic” pose of the time, she is quite clearly the painters favorite. Once you see his other work, you will notice the similarity. The Artist’s name is David Martin by the way.
I apologize for how much I’ve typed by the way. I am not yet fluent in English and have trouble piecing my thoughts together into words.
Annalee Hernandez you’re English is excellent, and you’re writing is easy to understand.
Love seeing them reference Janet Arnold!
Thank you for doing this piece on Dido Belle.
What’s delightful is the small grin on the mistress’s face. I’ll bet they had a ball together.
22:47 I just can’t get over his eyebrows
Abigail Davies I think the redhead was trying not to laugh at him
Love the working gown being tied closed with a tape measure!!!
I just watched this documentary on Amazon. My thoughts: I believe Dido was not "dressed" for this painting, but having known the painting had been commissioned, planned and helped design her own outfit to express who she felt she was in comparison with and "synchrony" with her "white family." She wanted to show and exercise what choices she had, and this would have been one of them. I think Dido was not dressed, but dressed herself for this portrait. ❤
doubt it, her pose was a demeaning one, notice her bowed neck, she was made to lower down compared to Elizabeth despite that she was sitting, then we have Elizabeth holding a book, a statement to her status, while Dido holding a tray of fruits (typical item and clothes for slave in painting), no doubt this painting was far more sympathetic to the black person, but it also showed how they were still lower and had slave heritage.
we know that she did wore a very high cap but her dress was normal, either way in real life Elizabeth was given 40,000 and dido given 500pounds and married to a servant, so this painting was right after all
How fortunate to have found this channel!! It is simply bewitching.
Dido embraced by her family, despite being Black AND illegitimate is shocking, I minored in art history, and I never heard of the story oh, the black girl was considered to be a maid as it was presented to me in art history class
she might as well be. stop trying to sugar coat it!
just from the inheritance left by their uncle it spoke volume! he left dido 500pound left Lady Elizabeth 10000pound.
left his secretary or something got 1000p... more than Dido.
if this is unequal then idk what is... also Lady Elizabeth married first to a rich Aristocratic men who would in time inherited a large fortune and title of his grandfather from his unmarried cousin
I wish they had talked about the available choices for her hair do as a black woman in the XVIII century. Perhaps the turban was also a way of hiding her unruly curly hair?
I love this show but this dress was way off. I get it's hard to go by just the painting but this dress looks nothing at all like the painting.
I wish they had used a POC model instead of Amber...”oh we are gonna recreate Dido Belle’s dress and put a white woman in it”
Well, it was mostly white women who wore this fashion at the time, so it's completely correct.
It would have been interesting if they made both dresses shown in the painting. Just to compare their very different styles that were both "modern" or fashionable at the time,.
Didos look was more fashionable. Queens and duchesses were wearing thse turkish inspired loose gowns or robes at the time... VERY fashionable. Although, there are clues that its allegorical and not literal. As wealthy as her fam was, I doubt they would have purchased her ostrich feathers or a GIANT pearl necklace. The pearl necklace is what gives it away as fancy dress or entirely allegorical. Her pearls are larger than her cousins...
Beautiful gown!
At 22:54."He took Maria under his wing." Huh, what a wonderful euphemism for constant horrific rapes that ended in the poor enslaved woman finally succumbing to the captain's "wing" and then siring his illegitimate daughter. (I severely doubt a woman brutally ripped away from her land, her people and her family to be stashed away on a ship like cattle by these barbaric foreigners would then suddenly want a consensual sexual relationship with one of her captors.) I also love how we're shown such a genteel, dashing picture of the violent rapist while all of this is being described in such delicate language. Don't want to give our modern audiences the vapors. The white-washing (yes, I mean the pun) of this brutal history continues without much questioning...
the fact that they even try to use this as basis for Bridgerton is just sad
I think this is amazing. I also think that the artist who painted this was in love with Dido. She is so beautiful and amazing.
I hope she had a good life
They couldn't steam the wrinkles out? It looks like she rolled out of bed wearing it.
so amazing
I love her style. Can she be my stylist?
The fabric they chose for the final dress looks exactly like the original painting. The satin reflects just like the original image.
I could watch this for hours
Great series but this dress is nothing like the portrait. Disappointed
I love your style..😀
That is a Tignon, from what is known as Tignon Law. In many colonized societies it was mandatory and other's it was socially acceptable for women of black heritage to wear this, especially if they could possibly pass for another ethnicity. We saw this a lot in Louisiana and the Caribbean. If this family has any dealings with the French, it would probably used as a means to not "offend." Her "husband," John Davinier
, has a French last name.
people in this comment section really be out here thinking they could’ve made this dress better than literal professionals. go off ig
A lovely project as she is surely a very mysterious figure. She does not however seem to be a slave as she looks very confident and at ease in her setting
She definitely wasn't a slave. She was a free woman, and the the cousin of Elizabeth (the woman on the right of the painting) whose family raised her as one of their own, loved her, and treated her as a lady. When her father died, he put in his will that she was a free woman to ensure nobody would dispute it.
@@razzle2429
I hear so many people saying she was ‘freed’, as in- she was a slave before this point, but the language was quite clearly *confirming* her freedom, as in- she was _already_ free, it was just written into the record in black & white so there was **no** dispute...
How beautiful was Dido Belle!
I absolutely love this series and I would love to work with the the girls in the tailors work room. Amber is brilliant I love her style and ability to wear historical clothing. Keep up the good work girls
So Liverpool was the largest slaving port in the world at that time. Something to keep in mind.
This is fascinating. Earlier this year, I learned of Dido Belle through the 'Double Whodunnit' episode of 'Fake or Fortune?'