The Art of the Lingère - Chapter IV: First Part of the Works of the Lingère
The Trousseau. Two great events in life exercise the art of the lingère more than any other: marriage and birth, and it is not to be doubted that marriage precedes legitimate birth. When a marriage is decided, fathers and mothers, a relative, etc. ordinarily prepare the trousseau for the wife. "Trousseau" means everything that is necessary to enter into housekeeping, excepting bedclothes and table linen, which the husband must provide. The rich and the great make it of what is most beautiful and most sought-after. We will use this type for an example, because its description will present most of the pieces which are used by women. So we begin with the list for a most opulent trousseau: the yardage of the pieces will be next detailed, then their cut and their fashioning for those who need it. The same will be done for an infant's layette, which will be followed by several pieces of linen which are neither part of the trousseau nor the layette, and we will finis...