A Study on the Aesthetic Characteristics of Wedding Dress in the 19th Century - Focusing on Neo-Classicism and Romanticism -

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to take into consideration the formative and aesthetic characteristics of wedding dresses that existed during the periods of Neo-Classicism and Romanticism which appeared as a reaction toward Neo-Classicism. The method of the research was mainly focused on precedent research data and general references. Furthermore the data on wedding dresses was mainly collected from British, French, and American library and museum web sites. The result of the research is the following. The Neo-Classicism art, which appeared along with the enlightenment in the beginning of the 19th century, pursues beauty based on associations and imitations of ancient Greek and Roman arts. In addition to aforementioned pursuits, the Neo-Classicism art also pursued universal beauty and social usefulness through law and order. This aesthetic value was also applied to the wedding dresses, so classical beauty, natural beauty and universal beauty were expressed as follows: corsets of the previous era were removed from general clothing and Empire style that imitated natural Greek style became predominant. Also, muslin replaced high quality clothes which were used as the main materials of the dressing during the previous era. Empire style's wedding dress became popular and simple colors and styles of the wedding dress expressed the beauty of the human body and emphasized civility at the same time. Romanticism art and costumes opposed rationalism and pursued sentimentalism. Moreover, it pursued diversity, exotic tastes and accepted diverse reactionism unlike Neo-Classicism's simplification and standardization. These aesthetic characteristic were applied to the wedding dress of this period; wedding dress of romanticism pursued feminine and elegant beauty with X silhouettes and various decorations, like general costumes. And they were decorated with a variety of excessive accessories, details and trimmings to express romantic sentimentalism. Exotic tastes which included Chinese, Egyptian, Indian influence and other diverse tastes were expressed through hair style, accessories and patterns of shawl. However, the white color in the wedding dress revealed purity and sanctity which cannot be found from general costumes regardless of whether the dress expressed Neo-classicism or Romanticism. As a formal dress worn during wedding ceremonies, the wedding dresses of the royalty revealed dignity and authority and significantly influenced later wedding dress designs.