costumes and headdresses in Alsace.

A C
E
LSATIAN
OSTUMES:
NCHANTMENT!
PURE
“
Costumes (…), were above all a countryman's
cloak of dignity. (…) Wearing these costumes
was a way of compensating men and women
for the trials and tribulations of life."
“
Marguerite DOERFLINGER, 1982
Did you know?
In the old days,
there were nearly
as many costumes
as there were
villages…
If there is a costume that
symbolises a region of France,
it is well and truly the Alsatian
costume! But behind the black
headdress and red skirt most
often seen as an emblem of
Alsace, there is actually a whole
range of other outfits. The broad
variety of rural costumes
in the 19th and early 20th century
reflects a blend of strict German
fashion and French style.
The diversity of shapes and
colours demonstrates the creative
vitality of countryside communities
in bygone days. This vitality lives
on today in a broad spectrum
of events and through folk
groups* who are enthusiastically
rediscovering and striving
to reproduce the costumes.
You can also see costumes
in the rich museum collections,
such as the Alsatian Museum
in Strasbourg**.
* Folk groups:
- D’Kochloeffel : http://sites.estvideo.net/kochloeffel/index.htm
- Groupe d’Art Populaire de Berstett : www.gapberstett.fr
** www.musees-strasbourg.org
1
SD
A
OME ASPECTS
OF THE
OF
IVERSITY
LSATIAN COSTUMES
The cliché of the
Alsatian woman
in a red skirt and
black headdress…
often decorated with a 3-colour
rosette, comes from costumes
worn in Kochersberg and Pays
de Hanau in the second half
of the 19th century.
This standard costume of the
farming areas close to Strasbourg
was inspired by the patriotism felt
when Alsace was annexed
to the Reichsland in 1870.
Alsatian women exiled to Paris,
for example, were proud to wear
the nostalgic 3-colour rosette.
The variety of headdresses
with large bows
Family and costume
in Hunspach,
a typical village
in northern Alsace
Historically…
rural costumes developed from the end of the 18th century
and new varieties sprang up as prosperity
grew in the countryside.
In southern Alsace, the costume quickly died out
as the population became more mixed, due
to industrialisation, with the exception of some isolated
areas in Munster Valley and Sundgau. However, it continued
to develop in northern Alsace until the First World War,
survived the interwar period and died out afterwards.
In the very north of Alsace, the costume is still worn
by some elderly people.
2
SD
A
S DE
PAY ANAU
H
G
BER
ERS
OCH
OME ASPECTS
OF THE
OF
K
IVERSITY
Strasbourg
LSATIAN COSTUMES
Colmar
In the region of
Kochersberg and
Pays de Hanau
Mulhouse
for example, some details
distinguish young Catholic girls
from Protestant girls.
The skirt, sewn to a corselet, is
long and red with black velvet
braiding for Catholics, and shorter, green, blue, mauve, brown or
red according to the liturgical calendar and with a flowery ribbon
for Protestants. The skirts were
made of bombazine, a mixture of
wool and linen. The Empire waist
characterised the style during a
good part of the 19th century.
Catholic costume
from Kochersberg
Coloured skirts of young Protestant
girls from Kochersberg
and Pays de Hanau
Protestant
(left) and
Catholic
(right)
costume
The Protestant skirt
was often green
3
S
CENES FROM
1830
Tricorn
and winter bonnet
The headdress
with a small
bow at the
front preceded
the large bow
by four
generations.
Towards 1830, countrywomen
from Kochersberg also wore
a 2-tone dress and a shawl
knotted around the neck.
Later on, the shawl covered
the shoulders.
Jacket and gaiters
for him
4
The headdress
with a large bow
Strasbourg, in other words
in the fertile plains,
the "wheat basket" (before sweet
corn was introduced) and always
in the sauerkraut fields.
The headdress is made up
of a bonnet and a ribbon tied
on the top at the front,
the width of which originally
never exceeded 5 cm (cf. page 4).
The ribbon grew and grew until
towards 1910, the bow had
to be under-wired.
The large bow is black
for Protestant women
and young girls. Young Catholic
girls sported a coloured, tartan
or flowered ribbon, but married
Catholic women also wore
a black ribbon.
Catholic costume from Geispolsheim
with red headdress, large bow and skirt
Headdress
with a large black
bow for a married
Catholic woman
In certain villages south
of Niederbronn-les-Bains,
a very broad black headdresses
tended to be worn.
5
Several models
of Catholic
headdresses
with large
bow and
a winter
bonnet
Padded winter
bonnet
from Geispolsheim
6
Generally
speaking, many
different
headdresses were
worn in Alsace!
This article of clothing is
tantamount to an identity card.
It tells everyone where you are
from, whether you are married
or not, your religion and how
wealthy you are.
Some headdresses were
only worn in a very
limited area!
Fringed
shawl
Ruff
Stomacher
or “Stecker”
The costumes
also show a certain
material wealth
and a spirit
of emulation
in the rural world!
Linen
blouse
Brocaded
silk apron
The bonnet holds up
the headdress,
the linen blouse, ruff,
richly decorated
stomacher (“Stecker”),
fringed shawl,
brocaded silk apron,
skirt and knitted stockings
together make up
the "headdress and skirt"
outfit!
Skirt
Knitted
stockings
7
T
FA
OLK
IN
RADITION
LSACE
Seebach (on the left)
et Schleithal (on the right)
Wissembourg
Alsace Bossue
Seebach
Sarre-Union
Woerth
Drulingen
Niederbronnles-Bains
Engwiller
La Petite
Pierre
Schleithal
Lauterbourg
Hunspach
Seltz
Soultz/
s/Forêts
Bouxwiller
Haguenau
Hochfelden
Saverne
Bischwiller
Brumath
Extended area for the
headdress with a large bow
Truchtersheim
Marmoutier
Wasselonne
Strasbourg
Westhoffen
Molsheim
Geispolsheim
Rosheim
Schirmeck
Obernai
Erstein
Barr
Saales
Benfeld
Villé
Area for headdresses with a red bow
Sélestat
Kochersberg
and Pays de Hanau
(winter bonnet on the right)
Ste-Marie-aux-Mines
Ribeauvillé
Lapoutroie
Kaysersberg
Orbey
Turckheim
Munster
Wintzenheim
Metzeral
Rouffach
Marckolsheim
Holtzwihr
Colmar
Andolsheim
Ste. Croix
en Plaine
Neuf-Brisach
Ried Centre Alsace
Guebwiller
Soultz
St. Amarin
Ensisheim
Thann
Masevaux
Cernay
Wittenheim
Mulhouse
Habsheim
Soultzeren (above)
and Munster (below)
Dannemarie
Altkirch
Hirsingue
Ferrette
Sierentz
Area for golden headdresses
Huningue
St-Louis
Which headdresses
were worn where
in Alsace
Sundgau
8
S
H
C A
A
Schleithal
TROLL AMONG
THE
EADDRESSES AND
Strasbourg
OSTUMES FROM NORTH
TO SOUTH
LSACE
Colmar
Mulhouse
White embroidered
tulle bonnet with
strings worn by Catholic
women in Schleithal,
who wore their hair in a bun.
Under the fringed shawl,
their necks are covered
with 7 small white shawls.
Catholic
family
from Schleithal
9
Wissembourg
Seebach
Strasbourg
Colmar
Mulhouse
Headdress with a small,
red bow at the front worn
by a young Protestant
girl from Seebach and
polecat fur hat from
the Wissembourg region
Young Protestant
girls (red headdress
for non-sacred days
- black headdress
for Sundays,
confirmations,
weddings and
mourning)
and married
Protestant woman
from Seebach
Black cap worn by a
married Protestant
woman from Seebach
with a small black bow at the back.
Her hair is turned under at the back.
Shawl
from Seebach
10
MerkwillerPechelbronn
Drulingen
ACE
ALS SSUE
O
B
Padded
bonnets
with strings
were especially
worn in
Westhoffen
west of
Strasbourg,
some villages
in the north
and Alsace
Bossue.
Westhoffen
Strasbourg
RIED
Colmar
Mulhouse
Headdress
from Drulingen
Couple from
Merkwiller-Pechelbronn
Couple
from MerkwillerPechelbronn
Small bonnets
with ribbons
from the Ried
in Central Alsace
11
Sun-shaped headdress
and costume worn
by a young Catholic
woman from
Meistratzheim.
This golden headdress with
a white lace halo was worn
in the region of Meistratzheim
and Obernai.
Strasbourg
Obernai
Meistratzheim
Colmar
Mulhouse
Young patrician
women from
Colmar with
headdresses
sporting ruche
lace halos
12
Strasbourg
Colmar
Mulhouse
SUNDGAU
Ferrette
Costume
and golden
headdress
from Sundgau
Brocade headdress
from Ferrette
Couple and
headdress
from Sundgau
13
M
C
EN’S
OSTUME
It's not without
a certain
charm too…
particularly before 1860,
when the frock coat,
French-style breeches and
tricorn lent men an imposing
bearing! Later on, the costume
was replaced little by little
by jackets, trousers and a round,
rimmed, flat-top hat.
In Kochersberg and Pays de
Hanau in the late 19th century,
men wore a short black jacket,
black trousers, a white shirt
with a collar closed
by a black scarf folded
in the shape
of a ribbon, a red
double-breasted
waistcoat with
gold buttons
and a hat.
Men from
Kochersberg
Tricorn
Man wearing a
frock coat
and tricorn
Black woollen
bonnet
from Seebach
frock coat
A man just wouldn't
be seen dead without
his hat! Felt hats, caps
and fur hats made
out of polecat fur
or knitted woollen
bonnets made
for a surprising variety.
French-style
breeches
14
W
F
ORKING IN
THE
IELDS
The costumes
and headdresses
described above
were not really
appropriate for
working in the
fields!
Indeed, these garments were
kept for special occasions
and particular circumstances.
They were worn on Sundays,
wedding days, feast days,
festivals, saints days or annual
fairs. To work, countrywomen
would wear clothes of the same
style, but made of coarser and
more hard-wearing material.
They also wore a white headscarf
knotted round their heads,
sometimes covered with a straw
hat or a wired close cap. Head
pads enabled them to carry
washing baskets and other
burdens. "Turkish style skirts"
with geometric, floral patterns
seem to have been worn by
women at the start and end
of haymaking and harvesting
and to village dances.
Countrywoman
wearing
a Turkish
style skirt
Countrymen wore a blue,
embroidered shirt and
a pointed bonnet.
15
C
S
OUNTRY
CENES
Scene inspired
by Gänseliesel
or Lise, the goose
herder
Costumes from the valleys
of Munster and Soultzeren
Rural scenes
in costumes
from Munster
In Munster Valley,
the dairy farmers wore
a special type of hat:
a round leather cap which
protected them from
banging their heads
against low beams.
Cherrypicking
time…
16
C
C
HILDREN’S
OSTUMES
Child's bonnet
from the region
of Meistratzheim
and Obernai
The last touch
to hold the headdress
in place
Kelsch fabric inspired
the folk dancing group D’Kochloeffel
from Souffelweyersheim for these
children's costumes.
17
For young girls
from the region
of Wissembourg,
the bonnets were designed
to wear with plaits.
Boys
wore a black woollen bonnet.
Blue blouse
and black woollen
bonnets
from Seebach
18
C
OSTUMES FOR
O
SPECIAL
CCASIONS
Weddings,
conscription
into the army…
The different phases
of life, fete-days
and festivals were
all opportunities
to wear beautiful
costumes and
special garments.
The conscripts
wore white trousers, an apron
embroidered with their initials,
their year of birth and sometimes
the name of their village, and
a magnificent hat decorated
with feathers, fruit and ribbons.
19
Weddings
Wedding headdress
from Seebach and bride
Wedding scene
from Meistratzheim
Green skirts with corselets
in lacquered fabric
for the brides
(1830 costume procession)
20
Religious festivals
The Catholic village of Geispolsheim
is famous for its Corpus Christi Festival.
While red headdresses and black
shawls covering the back had
to be worn, young girls also wore
white guipure lace aprons
during the processions.
21
Scenes from
the village
festival
22
Festival scenes `
in the region
of Wissembourg
Coming out
of the bistrot
23
A
nd afterwards,
the headdresses were
carefully put away,
but the memories
of merry days lived
on forever…
Plunge into
this festival atmosphere:
Whit Sunday and Whit Monday– www.ot-wissembourg.fr
Streisselhochzeit (traditional wedding) in Seebach
the weekend after 14th July – www.uas.fr
Summer folk evenings "Music, Dance and Legends
of Alsace", and the Christmas gatherings according
to the season, on our website www.tourisme67.com
Most of the photographic illustrations come from photo reports carried out
in 2009 by ADT du Bas-Rhin, with the participation of the folk groups
D’Kochloeffel from Souffelweyersheim and G.A. P. from Berstett,
the Parc de la Maison Alsacienne in Reichstett and the Maison Rurale
de l’Outre-Forêt in Kutzenhausen, used as settings for these photos.
L & là - Copyright : ADT 67 / INFRA, C. FLEITH - Musée Alsacien / E. H. CORDIER - OTSR
ADEAN / B. NAEGELEN - Airdiasol ROTHAN - UAS Seebach - Groupe folklorique D’Kochloeffel
Groupe folklorique Deckeleklopfer.
Composition textes et images : ADT 67 / M. BURGER-VOLLMER
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