Pride and Percabeth

Character Designs: Part 3

Hazel's story is based on that of Dido Elizabeth Belle Lindsay, the mixed race daughter of an English naval officer and an enslaved woman. Dido was raised by her great uncle William Murray, Earl of Mansfield, who was the Lord Chief Justice of England, and lived a life of more privilege and comfort than most people of color in the 18th Century would have done.
Hazel's outfit is a take on the one which Dido wears in the famous portrait of her and her cousin Lady Elizabeth Murray.

The shape of the gown is obscured by the basket of fruit which Dido holds in her arms so I used a 1790s robe à la turque.

Dido's outfit has been the subject of debate. Such Eastern inspired garments were fashionable at the time and popular in portraiture but it is interesting to note that Dido is wearing such an outfit while her cousin Elizabeth is dressed in a more conventional gown. Did Dido wear these clothes because they were stylish and would look good in a portrait or was she put in them to highlight her exoticism.

To learn more about Dido, here a video made by English Heritage about her life and the trailer for the film Belle, a dramatization of her story.

Frank would also be dressed to emphasize his exoticism in traditional Chinese clothes.

These might have been clothes Frank brought with him from China or a livery given to him by his employers. A traditional Chinese man's outfit at this time would be called a Changshan would consist of a long robe or tunic, sometimes worn over loose trousers.

Sometimes worn over this outfit would be a Magua, a short jacket.

I gave Frank a skullcap called a Guanmao.

In Pride and Percabeth, I have Frank wear western clothing when he is off duty to fit in more.