#historical american girls

[where-our-stories-start]

Through the window, Kirsten could see a maple tree. I'm home, she thought. My cousins live right next door. We'll be friends.

Kirsten Larson - 1854

[timetravelingcourtney]

[lacypinafore]

BACKSTREET'S BACK ALRIGHT

[enby-dollhouse]

Gwendolen took a winter walk through the forest in her brand new coat :)

I've never made a coat before so this was definitely a learning experience but I am very happy with the result!

[stluciabuns]

The Historical Accuracy of Kirsten's Dirndl

Despite its adorableness, I have seen many people complain about Kirsten's Swedish Dirndl outfit.

I would kill a man to have bought this for $22.

She wears this outfit for most of Meet Kirsten, being that she is an impoverished immigrant child who does not own any other clothes, and also for continuity reasons.

Frequently, I have seen it claimed that this outfit is not historically accurate and should not have been included as part of her collection. Conversely, I have also seen many German folk costumes marketed as being made for Kirsten. Both of these pain me a great deal (actually they just annoy me).

Nonetheless, I have decided to further procrastinate doing actual, meaningful work and instead set out on a new mission: figure out what the fuck is up with Kirsten's Dirndl.

In this post, I will lay out the research I have done, the evidence supporting the historical accuracy of this outfit, the challenges to its existence, and ultimately aim to answer the question of whether this outfit is one Kirsten plausibly could have worn on her journey from Sweden to America in 1854.

Let's begin.

First, the name. Pleasant Company/American Girl referred to this outfit as "Kirsten's Swedish Dirndl and Kerchief."

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a Swedish dirndl. "Dirndl" is a German term, and refers to folk costumes worn by people in German-speaking areas of Europe (the Alps, Bavaria, Austria, and so on).

Kirsten is Swedish, and before Meet Kirsten has never left Sweden before. It is very unlikely she would have acquired, and regularly worn, a German dirndl. See this gorgeous example of a dirndl c. 1840:

Outfit, c. 1840. Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Münchner Stadtmuseum.

This ensemble is beautiful, but tragically, it is not what Kirsten is wearing.

What, then, is Kirsten wearing? What kind of traditional dress does Swedish culture have?

As it turns out, the proper term for what she is wearing is a folkdräkt. This is a Swedish term meaning "folk costume." Here is an illustration depicting multiple examples of Swedish folk costumes. In proper terms, these would be called "Svenska folkdräkter."

Nordisk familjebok (1908), vol. 8, Folkdräkt. Retrieved from runeberg.org.

These outfits are not quite identical to anything we see in Kirsten's collection, but you can observe various elements that have carried over -- the vertical stripes, black woolen skirts with ornate trim, and white dresses and red sashes (hello St. Lucia)!

Let us dive deeper. What do extant Svenska folkdräkter, specially those made c. 1850, look like? Is there anything like Kirsten's outfit among surviving examples?

Johan Sodermark, "Kvinna i dräkt."

In my few hours of research, this example image is the closest thing I have found to Kirsten's dirndl.

This lovely portrait is a watercolor from 1850 painted by Johan Sodermark. It is very creatively titled "Kvinna i dräkt" -- literally, "Woman in costume." The pattern of this woman's apron is incredibly similar to that of the skirt of the Kirsten doll's outfit -- a dark red base with blue and yellow stripes woven throughout.

Here is a closeup from the American Swedish Institute.

Although it is not shown in the doll-sized version of the outfit, the illustrations in Meet Kirsten by Renée Graef show us she also wears a light-colored, striped apron, which is almost surely the one that comes with her meet outfit.

Illustrations from Meet Kirsten, drawn by Renée Graef.

Notice the fabric of the bodice in the third illustration, though: Kirsten's top is made of red plaid fabric, while Sodermark's girl has an outfit full of stripes. Kirsten, bless her heart, spends an entire book outfit-repeating a potential pattern-mixing fail: plaid and two kinds of stripes and a floral scarf. Did Pleasant Rowland just hate her? Is Kirsten on another, elevated fashion plane far beyond my comprehension? Is there a historical basis for this combination of patterns?

I have no answer to the first two questions, but thankfully can speak on the third.

Komplett Vilskedräkt, Västergötlands museum. Some pieces c. 1865.

The top is plaid and laces up, which is not necessarily the most common way of fastening (in most examples, the bodice pins up), but it is a sensible choice considering both Kirsten's age (9) and the fact that Pleasant Company was making toys for little hands.

The model for the outer shell (the lace up top) belonged to Karl Edberg from Hällestad; it is not dated, but at least one piece of this set (the bag, which is not shown) is c. 1865. Additionally, the blouse here is very similar to the one that comes with Kirsten's winter outfit -- look at that keyhole neckline!

So, Kirsten's Dirndl outfit is actually very accurate as far as the clothing itself goes...the name remains the trouble.

I have no idea why they called it a dirndl. Folkdräkt is definitely challenging to pronounce, but why wouldn't PC just translate it as "folk dress" or "Swedish outfit" and call it a day? Why the insistence on referencing a culture that isn't relevant to the doll or her dress at all?

Perhaps this is a mystery to tackle for another day...

[historicalfictionsims]

Clara and the Nutcracker Prince - BGC

This one goes out to @theroyalthornoliachronicles for our mutual venting sessions. Happy holidays, Ali!

Inspired by American Girl's 2019 limited edition Nutcracker costumes. Clara's dress doesn't really fall into any one decade, but can be flexible. The Nutcracker Prince outfit is perfect for Victorian-era costume balls.

The hat works without the slider. If I'd had more time I might have added a chin strap, but it just wasn't happening.

The prince outfit is full body and will override shoes.

The transparent parts of the dress are not compatible with laptop mode. It will not work with accessories in the tights/leggings category, but will work with accessories in the socks category.

All items in my Combined Diary palette.

Download for free on SFS | Patreon

Download for free on CurseForge: Clara | Prince Outfit | Hat

Support me on Patreon or buy me a coffee?

Feel free to tag me if you use them, I'd love to see! My TOU are here.

@mmoutfitters @twentiethcenturysims

[nickysfacts]

This makes Tiana the Princess of Creole Cuisine!

🍽️👩🏾‍🦱👑

[tj-crochets]

Miss Beatrice Bear’s new dress is almost done! I just need to hem the bottom

[buzzardly28]

Maryellen - Vacation Hair 

This is my entry to @historicalfictionsims‘s birthday contest! You can find out more about it in her post here.

I decided to stick with the 1950s theme and make something that I knew she’d like, an American Girl hairstyle! She’s already made Maryellen’s main hairstyle (here) so I’ve made the one that is shown with the dolls vacation outfit (which she’s also made here!) which meant that I could use the patterns from the challenge.

The hair isn’t hat-compatible but the headscarf has an overlay found in hats that has the red gingham swatch shown, the 42 solid swatches of  @historicalfictionsims​‘s Combined Diary palette and the 8 molecular patterns from the challenge.

TOU: Feel free to recolour or edit to your hearts content, just don’t make people pay for it. (full tou here)

Download (simsfileshare)

@mmfinds @mmoutfitters @twentiethcenturysims

[cookinguptales]

so American Girl's new historical characters are from 1999, look almost exactly like Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and are worried about Y2K. They listen to the Spice Girls, have tamagotchis, and use gel pens. The word "sk8r" was used unironically in their description.

I literally had the AG slumber party book that's part of the Pizza Hut BOOK IT set. The exact AG magazine that's in other photos, too.

my childhood... is historical now...

just put me in the ground...

--------

BONUS: I texted my mother:

[where-our-stories-start]

'Changes can be good,' she thought. That sounds like a headline to me.

Kit Kittredge - 1934

[timetravelingcourtney]

Here’s Addy with her new accessories that I picked up at AG Place LA.

This Addy was in the large PC Molly lot I brought home a few weeks ago. I fell in love as sometimes happens and decided I had to keep her.

She had her boots but no meet dress. I remembered I had this lovely dress someone made with great care. Kirsten had an extra apron and kindly passed it along.

I was very excited to set up her Sweet Dreams set which I’ve been holding onto for years!

I rarely come across Addy items on my adventures so I’m cobbling things together until either I get lucky or AG expands their retired doll lines. 🤞🏻

[betty-bourgeoisie]

I could fix her (American Girl Doll historical collection)

[dandelionsandderivatives]

While I was languishing on the bed of illness last week, I spent a lot of time reading up on American Girl Doll lore. Dear followers, you may see a lot of American Girl content in the following weeks. I say this not to apologize, but to entice.

[idledoll]

Maybe it's because we left the First Mow of the year late, but we've had these little white wildflowers pop up all over the place this year, where usually they're concentrated in a few isolated spots instead.

[historicalfictionsims]

Cécile and Marie-Grace's Meet Hats

This has been high on my list of add-on WIPS for a long time, and now that I've finally read their books I've been motivated to make more of these girls' accessories. My original plan was to also include the necklaces, but I ran out of time and wanted to post something before January was over. Hopefully the necklaces will be coming soon.

**Front views of both hats under the cut**

Cécile's hat comes in swatches to match her meet outfit. It is a mesh edit of Melody's meet hat.

Marie-Grace's hat is a merged package with the base in the (retired) Milk Tea palette and the ribbon overlay in the Primary palette. It is a frankenmesh of @waxesnostalgic's mushroom hat and @vintagesimstress's 1890s hat.

Ribbon overlay found under piercings.

Both are hat slider compatible.

Download for free on Patreon | SFS

Download for free on CurseForge: Cécile | Marie-Grace

Support me on Patreon or buy me a coffee?

Feel free to tag me if you use them, I’d love to see! My TOU are here.

@mmoutfitters