Tiger Tiger Burning Bright

[Spinster]

Now, there's a bit of a poem flitting around popular culture these days that a young soldier in 1860 something would have learned as a school boy....

And we talk of Tiger Zouaves and Tiger pattern jean cloth in military uniforms.

I'm looking for wider examples of this Tiger theme in 1860's popular culture. Here's why.

Back in the fall, as part of a larger period dye run, I followed instructions in a particular southern account for making a patterned yarn. I dyed it, thought, mmmmm, okay, and threw it into the box as 'interesting, but I can't see why they went to that much work'

This week, I put it on the needles, thinking if it worked up poorly I'd overdye it in my spring dye pots.

Imagine my surprise when this unspecified 'patterned' yarn knitted up as a tiger stripe.

So, are there examples of period clothing out there, especially civilian items, with the 'tiger' look?'

[Hank Trent]

Re: Tiger Tiger Burning Bright

This is the result of a newspaper search at genealogybank.com for tiger strip*, 1850-1865. These are the only fashion-related hits, not counting all the real tigers. Don't know if it's enough to be useful.

American and Commercial Daily Advertiser, Baltimore, Oct. 11, 1853:
"Dress pelisses are still trimmed with deep lace flounces... Pelisses are made for the cool weather of terry velvet; as these garments only accompany a full dress toilette, there are pardessus of onatine, or cloth chine, tiger-stripes with black or grey, or dark grey, fo rtravelling or evening wear--the decorations are a velvet collar and bands."


Frank Leslie's, Dec. 11, 1858:
"Velvets, in wide tiger-pattern stripes, in two shades, crossed by narrow satin stripes, are very handsome."

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com