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Adventures in the Philippine Islands
Adventures in the Philippine Islands by Paul P. de La Gironière
- GenresMemoir
243 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 16, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 13, 2019
If you manage to slog through the text that often reeked of the author's white savior complex , you'll find that this is actually packed with invaluable and, more importantly, very accessible information about everyday life in certain parts of Luzon during the 1820s-1830s. And I guess we have to thank Mr. de La Gironire's amazing sense of ego and drama because this turned out rather engaging.
An excerpt from one of the earlier chapters that screams out "the male gaze" but nonetheless presents a thorough description of the fashion worn by upper-class females of Manila from the first half of the 19th century:
"Their hair, drawn back from the face, and sustained by long golden pins, is of marvellous luxuriance. They wear upon the head a kerchief, transparent like a veil, made of the pine fibre, finer than our finest cambric; the neck is ornamented by a string of large coral beads, fastened by a gold medallion. A transparent chemisette, of the same stuff as the head-dress, descends as far as the waist, covering, but not concealing, a [36]bosom that has never been imprisoned in stays. Below, and two or three inches from the edge of the chemisette, is attached a variously coloured petticoat of very bright hues. Over this garment, a large and costly silk sash closely encircles the figure, and shows its outline from the waist to the knee. The small and white feet, always naked, are thrust into embroidered slippers, which cover but the extremities. Nothing can be more charming, coquettish, and fascinating, than this costume, which excites in the highest degree the admiration of strangers. The half-breed and Chinese Tagals know so well the effect it produces on the Europeans, that nothing would induce them to alter it."
An excerpt from one of the earlier chapters that screams out "the male gaze" but nonetheless presents a thorough description of the fashion worn by upper-class females of Manila from the first half of the 19th century:
"Their hair, drawn back from the face, and sustained by long golden pins, is of marvellous luxuriance. They wear upon the head a kerchief, transparent like a veil, made of the pine fibre, finer than our finest cambric; the neck is ornamented by a string of large coral beads, fastened by a gold medallion. A transparent chemisette, of the same stuff as the head-dress, descends as far as the waist, covering, but not concealing, a [36]bosom that has never been imprisoned in stays. Below, and two or three inches from the edge of the chemisette, is attached a variously coloured petticoat of very bright hues. Over this garment, a large and costly silk sash closely encircles the figure, and shows its outline from the waist to the knee. The small and white feet, always naked, are thrust into embroidered slippers, which cover but the extremities. Nothing can be more charming, coquettish, and fascinating, than this costume, which excites in the highest degree the admiration of strangers. The half-breed and Chinese Tagals know so well the effect it produces on the Europeans, that nothing would induce them to alter it."
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August 17, 2022A fun read. Highly recommend using google translate and reading the French version translated via Google Chrome at https://www.gutenberg.org/files/21804...
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews