Can't Identify this Time Period

The men's clothing would be somewhere between 1790 and 1850. Probably the earlier half of that period. The period with dandyism and beau brummel.

I'd agree with around the 1790's. The clothing reminds me of The Scarlet Pimpernel and that takes place in 1792.

I'm sending the links to a friend who used to do theatrical costuming. She knows a lot about clothing an time periods.

When she gets back to me, I'll get back to you.

The piano looks too modern to be earlier than the mid 1800s. Early pianos were small, boxy affairs. Thats probably an error by the filmmakers.

They wear fencing masks, which were invented in 1780. The particular ones they wear are of course easily identifiable as modern ones. At least they took off the Santelli logo. Likewise, the sabres they use are of a form that didn't exist until the very end of the 19th century. The style of fencing is also quite modern.

That and the remarkably smooth glass, the plastic laminated tarot cards, make it very hard to tell what time period the auteur was going for.

Early 1800s in some shots, almost Edwardian in others. It's a bit of a mish mash.

Fencing was training for fighting with a real weapon - it was also a form of 'gentlemanly excercise'.

StephanieFox said:

I'm sending the links to a friend who used to do theatrical costuming. She knows a lot about clothing an time periods.

When she gets back to me, I'll get back to you.

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Here's what she said:

Looks like 18th century on a budget and without someone who is too super precise with their historical details regarding things like hair styles, structural garments, etc.


So, it's really no time but movie time. Hopes all of this helps.

M.R.J. Le Blanc said:

Helps a lot, thanks guys Yeah I knew the hair wasn't accurate; the two guys fencing sported their actual hair, and in the one guy's case that was probably too much hair to try and stuff under a wig.

I do have one sort of related question though. The mother of the main female character ends up remarrying above her class (which I now understand was incredibly difficult, but not altogether unheard of). Not necessarily for love though. Are there any reasons why he might view her daughters as useful in terms of marrying them off?

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If he had a nephew in love with one of the daughters, it might be convenient. Cousin marriage was regarded much more positively back then, partly because of entailment (inheritance) laws. Or maybe it was a younger friend in love with one of the daughters, and the friend's father was making a fuss about them being of a lower class, if the man adopted the daughters they would gain whatever rank he had.

Also, wigs got ridiculous around 1770, as a reaction against them natural hair was in fashion from 1790 forward.

Money is a good reason for someone marrying above their class. That is, the lower class person has the money, the nobler person wants the money.

I'm not an expert, but have an interest in historical clothing. I agree with the people that said it looked like a mish-mash. A woman wore a hat that looked late 1700's, clothing in general anywhere from late 1700's, 1840's to 1860-ish? The way it was filmed, I didn't see many scenes with clear views of what the people were wearing.

Also, women in all those eras, except for a short time in the early 1800's, wore very constricting corsets. Fashions for women look very different when worn without them. You can't get a good idea of the silhouette they were going for.

1800's flat out. the actors are japanese, my guess is that it takes place in japan. but in the first vid they are sleeping on a western style bed, so it would have to be after japan had started becoming influenced by the western world, so you are looking at early to mid 19th century.

Marrying off his (lower classed) step daughters would mean he didn't have to support them. If they married well it would possibly add to his standing and form useful family connections with other powerful families.