raditional Maid Women's Costume

Do you ever see one of those huge mansions and shudder? No, not because it's probably haunted. You should shudder because of how much hard work all those floors, annexes, and terraces represent. When you wonder how people would have ever caught up with the housework you have to keep in mind that most families with houses that are this large had a staff of twenty people working about 70 hours a week to keep that not so humble abode spic and span.  

So, when we're daydreaming about those days Jane Austin and Jane Eyre, really any of the Janes, there is a community of people living their lives in the backdrops of all of those stories. Next to the women whose only worry was to find a husband under fifty years old who netted a gross income of 10,000 pounds a year the life of a maid was pretty darned busy! They'd typically wake up before the sun rose to prepare the fires to make sure the high-class residents woke up warm and cozy. After that, they'd be running around until past dinner time: cleaning the house, helping their mistress's into their ridiculous gowns, and helping in the kitchens. It might sound like a hard career but when compared to the alternative Victorian jobs for poor women which include washerwoman and brick maker, it wasn't half bad.  

Whether you're looking for an ensemble for a play, a murder mystery dinner, or a costume party in this costume you'd fit right in at the poshest of manors. The full-length skirt is modest enough for  Victorian standards while the bright white apron would make any Mistress proud. Just remember to dust behind that vase on the mantelpiece, trust us, those high-class ladies will check!