Search
The "Trousseau" and The "Armour de Mariage"
The word "trousseau" is a French word which translates to a bundle of linen and clothing in the English language. An "armour de mariage" means a wedding chest or cupboard.
When a French girl was born, whether it was in the countryside or in the towns and cities, her mother started working on embroidering clothing and household items a young woman would need when she got married and started a new home. In a rich family, a mother would hire seamstresses to help her. In a poorer family, once the girl came of age and was able to weild a needle and thread, she joined her mother in the task of cutting, hemming and embroidering her trousseau. These clothing and household items included dresses, ball gowns, hair nets, hair bows, lingerie, table clothes, napkins, bed cloths, dishtowels, pillow cases, sheets and cotton drapes. Some of the household items included 12 sets of every thing i.e. napkins, tablecloths, dishtowels etc.
Loving and doting fathers would cut down a tree and turn in into planks of wood. Once dried enough, these planks of wood were turned into some of the lovliest cupboards you have ever seen. These are what were called the armoires de mariage or hope chests for the future bride. The more creative and imaginative fathers would carve motifs of wealth, love and prosperity on the sides and doors of the hope chests. These motifs were the good luck wishes of the father to his daughter that she would find love, peace and harmony in her new home once she got married. Before the wedding day, the hope chest would be delivered to the grooms home in a cart by the father. It would be decorated with flowers. Once installed in the chosen bedroom, the mother would lovingly pile in all the stacks of embroidered items right from the bottom to the top of the chest.
Commentaires