The Delineator ‘contained pages upon pages of information about fashionable contemporary dress’
Written by Mikenna Richardson on behalf of the Orillia Museum of Art & History (OMAH)
Orillia was one of many “frontier” towns 120 years ago, but Orillians wanted to stay up to date.
As the town grew, more and more people migrated north from Toronto, which was the centre of fashion in Ontario. And, in the days before Google and social media, magazines spread fashion trends. The Delineator, A Journal of Fashion, Culture and Fine Arts was one of the most popular fashion magazines. Like magazines today, a subscription for The Delineator could be delivered to a recipient on a monthly basis. Although, to order a subscription, you would need to write a letter to the Toronto office with cash enclosed.
This magazine contained pages upon pages of information about fashionable contemporary dress. It was organized like a modern clothing store website, with sections devoted to women, men, and “little folk.” At the time, clothes for children below the age of about three were gender neutral, allowing for baby clothes to be used time and time again. After a child was successfully toilet trained, clothing transformed into miniature versions of adult wear. All clothing was very defined by gender, so young children could dress in almost identical outfits to their parents.
While the magazine was primarily about fashion, it also contained articles regarding anything from “the care of books,” instructions for knitting, tatting, crocheting, lace making and much more. Almost everyone today has heard of women with endless knowledge of running a home as well as having advice on saving money, upcycling, or old methods for soothing a headache. Women such as that would have gotten their information from magazines such as The Delineator. In the September 1898 copy, it contains an article with detailed instructions on the removal of stains.
Next week, we will feature another object from the OMAH collection that showcases our local history.