Women In The 1800 S

My Jezail and my Tulwar

With my Tulwar and my Jezail, I feel like a 19th-century warrior already. No, these are not women although their names sound like feminine. I am talking about a sword and a gun I acquired personally, together with two other items, last January. And today I have began the meticulous work of removing two centuries of dirt and rust that have accumulated on them.

My attention was called by Marivic Calderon, wife of Mayor Raymond Calderon of Samboan, late last December that someone was selling what looked like a bone-inlaid rifle that looked very Islamic, more like something coming out of Lanao or Cotabato. But this was from Samboan, from one of the old families there. Together with it was what looked like a scimitar or saber. I advised her not to purchase it for the Museo de Samboan because I suspected the objects to be from Marawi.

When I saw them for the first time, I was immediately captivated by their rarity and beauty and amazed at how they found their way to Samboan! So I wasted no time and purchased them outright for what I think was a bargain. Marivic and I have also decided to share the items for both the Museo Sugbo and the Museo de Samboan.

A jezail is a long rifle handmade in India and Afghanistan, with a matchlock or flintlock firing mechanism made from stolen Brown Bess rifles of the late late 1700s and early 1800s. In British lore, it was a jezail that wounded Sherlock Holmes’ partner, Dr. Watson, during the Battle of Maiwand in Afghanistan.

Wikipedia describes the jezail as “generally handmade weapons, and consequently they varied quite a bit in their construction… seen as very personal weapons, and unlike the typical military weapons of the time which were very plain and utilitarian, jezails tended to be very well crafted and were usually very beautifully and artistically decorated.

That is exactly how my Jezail looks like. A beautiful set of mother-of-pearl inlays dot the stock, which has a typical curve that allowed the grooved barrel of the rifle to be fired only when cradled against the body instead of the shoulder. This position allowed the gun to be fired while riding a horse. Current auctions price a jezail at between $800 to $2,500 depending on the quality. I most certainly got mine for a small fraction of that and with three others to boot, one of them a tulwar sword!

The tulwar or talwar is a curved sword designed in India and popular in the Islamic world. Sindbad, the intrepid sailor in Arabic lore, would surely have been comfortable using one as it was like the Persian shamsir or the Afghan pulwar sword. The only difference with the latter two is that the tulwar has a wider blade and is often inlaid with silver or gold on the blade. This one that I have has what seemed like rectangular silver appliques on them. The tulwar’s pommel has a short spike that projects from the center which, according to Wikipedia, is often pierced to secure the sword to the wrist. I still have to see this pierced section as the rust will have to be removed painstakingly using paste wax and scrubbing pad to avoid damaging the sword.

The Styles of 1800′s Clothing | Clothing Trends

In the 1800′s, clothing for both men and women went through many changes. There was a blurring in the distinction between clothing for the rich and clothing for everyone. The Industrial Revolution influenced the style of 1800′s clothing for both men and women, leading to development of mass-produced clothing and the rise of famous fashion designers in the 20th century. At the end of the 1700s, men were dressing in knee britches, stockings, frock coats or cutaway tailcoats and powdered wigs. In the beginning of the 1800s, the style of men’s clothing underwent a minor revolution when long pants were introduced. The influence of the Industrial Revolution led to men discarding capes in favor of overcoats and tailcoats in favor of the shorter suit coat that has remained popular through present times. Neckwear changed from cravats to bowties and neckties. Women’s 1800′s clothing also went through some drastic changes. In the early part of the century, the simple high-waisted Empire dress worn by Napoleon’s wife Josephine became widely popular. Empire dresses were loose fitting, low-cut in front and often had short sleeves. Within a short time, waistlines began to drop again and the top part of dresses, known as the bodice, began to get tighter. English fashion became influential in the mid-1800s. Sleeves were long, bodices tight and skirts were bell-shaped. These bell-shaped skirts became wider and wider until they became the hoop skirts that we associate with American Civil War era fashion. Once skirts seemed to have reached their maximum possible width, styles changed again and slimmer skirts with bustles in the back became popular. Skirts were elaborately embellished with swags, ruffles and drapes. In the final years of the 1800s, the bustle was abandoned and women’s clothing became more practical. Tailored dresses and suits became popular, with a close fitting jacket worn over a tailored blouse and long skirt. The style for tailored suits coincided with women’s growing interest in equality. It led to the Gibson Girl look of the early 1900s. The term “Gibson Girl” refers to the drawings of American illustrator Charles Dana Gibson, who created the image of idealized females who wore shirtwaist blouses and long tailored skirts. The introduction of the sewing machine in the late 1800s revolutionized the clothing industry. For the first time, hand sewing wasn’t required for each article of clothing.

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