Crinoline Burns up the Fashion World
Open flames were all around in the 1800s, in fireplaces, wall sconces, and chandeliers. “Far-away” fashions that protruded far from the wearer, such as fontage and crinoline, were particularly risky. A wrong step could start a fire, which the wearer wouldn’t notice until she was nearly engulfed in flame. On July 9, 1861 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s wife Fanny suffered severe burns after her dress, billowed with crinoline, caught fire.
Longfellow tried to save her, suffering burns as well. She died a day later, a victim of her crinoline. Oscar Wilde’s half-sisters, Emily and Mary, suffered a similar fate. At a Halloween party in 1871, one of the girls, dancing with the host, came too close to a candle. The other sister tried to help but ignited her own dress. Desperate efforts to smother the flames were futile. Both girls suffered massive burns, and by late November, both had died.
