Jumps

[Lily Alexander]

The topic of "jumps" has been glossed over in several threads but it has never been fully debated on. Since there is no time like the present, let the debate begin. I've been trying to dig up as many references to jumps as I could and this is what I found so far. Unfortunately, I don't have a scanner to post the pictures of the referenced items.

Dictionary of 18th Century Clothing Terms: From the Northwest Territorial Alliance

http://www.nwta.com/patterns/pdfs/111dict.pdf

JUMP, JUMPE, JUMP- COAT (F.) Usually in the plural as “Jumps”; a loose unboned bodice worn instead of stays for comfort or during pregnancy. “Bought my wife a new pair of jumps instead of stays.” (1716, Marchant Diary.)

http://people.csail.mit.edu/sfelshin/revwar/glossary.html

jumps A woman's support garment, lightly stiffened with whalebone, cane, wood splits, cording, buckram, quilting and/or other means. It is not known whether jumps could use no stiffening other than the fabric of the jumps. No precise definition has been found for jumps, but it is clear that they were, on average, less stiffened than stays. Jumps almost certainly can lace front only, and possibly even usually lace front only. Jumps could be worn by invalids, pregnant women, elderly women, and slatterns, and in informal situations. Stays seem to have been the usual garment, rather than jumps, but data is lacking.

What Clothes Reveal, Linda Baumgarten pg 148-149

Fig. 203 Ca. 1700 “When heavily boned stays were too uncomfortable, women wore quilted waistcoats for warmth and support”.

Fig 204 & 205 Ca. 1720-1750

Eighteenth-Century Clothing at Williamsburg, Linda Baumgarten pg 18

“Bodice. Possibly called a waistcoat or jumps”.

“Women sometimes wore lighter support garments, called jumps, in place of stays. Unboned or partially boned bodices, jumps were worn informally at home or whenever a less stiff garment was required”.

The Cut of Women’s Clothes, Norah Waugh pg 66

Other Types of Dress

“The jacket, or waistcoat, with short basque, was too useful a garment to be discarded and continued to be worn for negligee wear and especially by working women. There were also simple bodices, laced up center back or perhaps crossing in front or caught together center front with bows. These were for more casual wear and were habitual for children and young girls”.

[Lily Alexander]

Embroidered Jumps. V&A Museum. ca.1700

http://www.coraginsburg.com/antique_costumes_ladies.htm

Edited June 22, 2009 by Haunting Lily

[callenish gunner]

What salty wears are jumps (semi-boned); because we got them while she was pregnant we had them made laced fore and aft, so that she could wear them during the entire pregnancy and they would accommodate the changes in her body shape. The historic clothing seamstress who made them was happy to finally see a pair that she made used as they were intended.

[Lily Alexander]

I'm being nit picky here . Please don't take this the wrong way. Those look an awful lot like stays. Which can be partially boned and laced front and back to accommodate pregnancy. I know I saw a reference to that. I'll try to find it.

This is where some of the problem comes in. Some historical clothing people call jumps, stays or corsets. Some call them waistcoats. One thing I know is data is lacking but the item in question did exist. Now to find more documentation on them.

I know there are other examples in museums other than the one in the V&A.

ps. Salty's stays/jumps are wonderful.

[michaelsbagley]

Until just under a year ago, I was a big sceptic on "jumps", but then Sterling posetd a picture of a set of jumps (or maybe two) that had firm provenence in the GAoP (albeit both in the later half if memory serves me well)... And that pretty much convinced me. I think Sterling posted a textual reference or two on the matter as well, but my memory on that point is far more vague.

I still believe they were a minority item (likely), or will until I see a fair bit more evidence on their frequency (or lack thereof). I think the posts for that may have been over on the "Tavern" forum... I'll give it a day or two to allow Sterling to repost them here, and if the good captain is too busy, maybe I will go cut and paste the posts to share here as well. (unless someone else gets impatient and does it first )

[Lily Alexander]

Michael, the above posted jumps are the ones Sterling has posted numerous times here on the pub and the tavern.

You are making assumptions that they were a minority item. If a garment of clothing was worn for undress wear, working, and in the home. It's unlikely many extant examples have survived. Jumps were not meant to be worn out in public.

That's kind of the point of this topic, I've been searching for a well over a year now, and I'm hoping more sets eyes will be better than one.

[michaelsbagley]

Michael, the above posted jumps are the ones Sterling has posted numerous times here on the pub and the tavern.

You are making assumptions that they were a minority item. If a garment of clothing was worn for undress wear, working, and in the home. It's unlikely many extant examples have survived. Jumps were not meant to be worn out in public.

That's kind of the point of this topic, I've been searching for a well over a year now, and I'm hoping more sets eyes will be better than one.

No, the set of Jumps that I am picturing in my head looked different than that one... So I guess this is me saying that my shakey and unrelaiable memory recalls a set of jumps other than the ones you posted above. I was almost certain it was Sterling that showed me the image, but perhaps it was someone else? Or perhaps it was via private message as I just looked through the thread over on the Tavern, and the image was not there either.

Fair enough of the usage and appearance of them in period art and extent samples... Truth be told, Kate has been thiking hard about an easy to throw on garment for runs to rest rooms in at events, and while we have been leaning more towards the idea of a banyan stye bed coat, jumps could serve just as well, so the topic does really interest me. I'll keep on trying to recall where and when and who the other image I recall is from.

[Lily Alexander]

As you can tell, the topic is of great interest to me as well

Please keep trying. I would certainly love to see other examples. Thanks for being another set of eyes.

I'm suppose to be working on a pattern for jumps. However, I'm up to my eyeballs in stays so that will have to wait until after PIP. I'll be happy to pass my pattern along.

[michaelsbagley]

As you can tell, the topic is of great interest to me as well

Please keep trying. I would certainly love to see other examples. Thanks for being another set of eyes.

I'm suppose to be working on a pattern for jumps. However, I'm up to my eyeballs in stays so that will have to wait until after PIP. I'll be happy to pass my pattern along.

I'm sure Kate would appreciate it!

[Silkie McDonough]

I am interested in jumps for physical work. Bending and reaching can be rather difficult in stays for a woman my size. Yes I know that the likelihood of a woman my size working or even existing in the GAoP is rare but until I loose the weight I would like an alternative for kitchen work & cleaning.

[Cheeky Actress]

Drat! I have another shot of 'jumps' which were on exhibit at Colonial Williamsburg awhile back (2006, perhaps). They were on loan from another museum in London. Sadly, I will have to wait to post them until I get home.

They are not as pretty as those listed above. If my memory holds well, they date about 1720.

Edited June 22, 2009 by Cheeky Actress

[Lily Alexander]

Dear Cheeky's Boss,

I hereby give Cheeky permission to leave work early so she can go home and post the picture.

Sincerely, Lily

Edited June 22, 2009 by Haunting Lily

[Cheeky Actress]

Ah, if it where only that simple, Lily. I know I have a hard copy of them. If worse comes to worse....I'll scan 'em!

[Cheeky Actress]

Okay...I was way off. It wasn't Williamsburg...it was Jamestown. It was during their 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown in 1607, that the APVA presented an exhibit featuring four centuries of women's fashion at Becon's Castle.

This item is an English wool embroidered linen 'waistcoat' circa 1675-1700. Though the title of this item is called 'waistcoat', could the term jumps be interchangable here?

The description of the item is as follows:

"This item was fashionable for women's informal wear in the late 17th century and early eighteenth centuries and they provided a comfortable substitue for rigidly boned stays....The front lacing supplied both convenience and comfort for the woman at home."

Here is another picture of a 'waistcoat' / 'jumps' dated circa 1720. At first glance, they do look very similar.

[Lily Alexander]

Have I told you how much I love you lately.

[Capt. Sterling]

[/i]Here is another picture of a 'waistcoat' / 'jumps' dated circa 1720. At first glance, they do look very similar.

Where did you find the date on this set of jumps? As the Kyoto Museum exhibit Revolution in Fashion 1715-1815 only dates them as Early 18th century... but it does list them as jumps and not a waistcoat. Their description being Jumps, quilted linen with plant pattern, tied in front with silk taffeta ribbons. They also state in their glossary: Jumps: Woman's soft bodice without boning, usually worn at home instead of a corset. So odds are this particular set are not boned at all.

The jacket in the back right is also listed as early 18th century, silk satin with diamond-patterned quilting. This might be something to consider for undress as the sack backs were coming in already toward the end of the GAoP.

Oops sorry you can see the jacket in the far right back ...

Edited June 23, 2009 by Capt. Sterling

[Capt. Sterling]

This item is an English wool embroidered linen 'waistcoat' circa 1675-1700. Though the title of this item is called 'waistcoat', could the term jumps be interchangable here?

The description of the item is as follows:

"This item was fashionable for women's informal wear in the late 17th century and early eighteenth centuries and they provided a comfortable substitue for rigidly boned stays....The front lacing supplied both convenience and comfort for the woman at home."

Also of interesting note: they believe that the fabric used in this waistcoat was recycled from a pair of bed hangings, along with the embroidery... they date the fabric and stitching back to mid 17th century.

Oh tis Bacon Castle and tis right here in Virginia... not England.

Edited June 23, 2009 by Capt. Sterling

[Lily Alexander]

Do I see a trip to Bacon Castle sometime in the future?

[Capt. Sterling]

Like I have any excuse not to go... we can tackle Williamsburg as well... I want copies of the documentation and was told to just give them enough leeway and voila`, ours to have! I would love to ask them about jumps as well... they were a font of information regarding linen suits.

[Lily Alexander]

Lily is doing the *happy dance*

[Capt. Sterling]

Just let me know when you want to fly down for research...

[Jack Roberts]

Tis a shame I don't live closer. I would love to go. Let us know what you find out.

I would like to make Brig a set or to of Jumps. These stays are kicking my behind. (Because of the

amount of time to finish them. OI!)

[Cheeky Actress]

Have I told you how much I love you lately.

.... ! No...but it IS nice to know this..

[Cheeky Actress]

Also of interesting note: they believe that the fabric used in this waistcoat was recycled from a pair of bed hangings, along with the embroidery... they date the fabric and stitching back to mid 17th century.

They also noted due to the expense of such an item, that it was not unusal for textiles to be recycled.

[Silkie McDonough]

Which would explain why evidence is often sparse on some items, I would think when the Jumps were worn out they might find a next life as a pair of pockets or pillow covers or whatever.

Edited June 23, 2009 by Silkie McDonough