Baker's peels and huge hoop skirts - George Cruikshank sketch 1850

In 1850 the dresses had become so large that the gentlemen had to serve the wine or jelly on a baker's peel... according to satirist George Cruikshank.


“...The supper room on the night of a ‘grand spread’ will be a curious place. There the gentlemen will stand, armed each with a long baker’s peel with which to hand the ladies their refreshments. The greatest nicety, however, will be required in presenting a trifle, a glass of wine, or a jelly by these means, lest the whole be deposited in the fair creature’s lap.”
George Cruikshank’s “A Splendid Spread” in Comic Almanac 1850

The large hoop skirts or cage crinoline caused a distance problem that the creative Cruikshank solved with humor. I love the peel and the work of Cruikshank, so I put it on my old blog in 2007.

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