SERBIAN FASHION

(1850-1914)

Centar za istraivanje digitalne kulture

"Jelek" and" anteria"

Women wore skirts, anteria, fistan, waistband, jelek, shirts

and fur coats. They also wore a f es, firming it with their
braids and decorated it with pearls, silver or gold. As for
jewelry, they preferred necklaces made of golden coins or
pearls; they also wore earrings, bracelets and rings...
3

Mrs. Tomanias corner

Mayor of Belgrade Jevrem Obrenovi had built a beautiful

house, during the 19th century on t he corner of Miloa Velikog Street and Krunska Street. Belgrade residents used to
call that neighborhood Mrs. Tomanias corner. It was a
house that had a beautiful garden, one of best in town, decorated with all kinds of flowers, likes of which havent been
seen in Belgrade before and was also known as governments anteroom. The house of Jevrem and Tomania was
vast and beautiful, with spacious rooms, warm and well lit
with miliherc candles. On their table was always a variety of
delicacies for serving and eating.
The first organized gatherings of artists took place in Jevrem's home. In the presence of famous figures of the time:
Consul Hodis and Mihanivi, learned Serbs Dimitrije Davidovi, Isidor Stojanovi, and others, spirits were high, and
the overall mood was cheerful. There were recitals, talks
and songs about. In this house, Anka Konstatinovi, according to some a Serbian femme fatal, organized some of the
best gatherings of artists that Belgrade had ever seen.
5

"Jeerma", "vest" and "dolama"

Before men started to wear European clothes, they preferred

jeerma, vests, opran, cloth dolama or cotton anteria with a
silk waistband. Under the dolama some of them wore cloth
caksire (trousers), but others wore only leggings (tozluks).
Over that it was common to wear a cloak made of lamb skin
of fox fur. Shoes and boots were common, while fes remained the most popular type of hat. Lower class wore during the summer only shirts and jecerma...
7

63

62 , (. ... ) 1820-30.

"Town mayor"

Lord Jevrem Obrenovi (1790 - 1856), Duke Milo`s brother

and through historical circumstances, grandfather of King
Milan, became mayor of Belgrade after moving there from
abac. He built a spacious house in the central square in
Belgrade for himself and his large family. Jevrem Obrenovi
was very capable and a l ittle bit scrupulous as the duke of
abac county, following Belgrade; he supervised public
buildings, he was head of the police and military office, president of the State council and a member of Parliament. I t
was then said that Jevrem was "a handsome man, well educated and enlightened, patient and sensible". He was remembered in history as a great leader and particularly as
one interested in everything that was new. He reorganized
abac by European standards, creating grand boulevards
and nicknaming the town "Little Paris".
9

68

67 , 1880.

10

"Fistan", "libade" and "tepeluk"

In 1860s Serbia there was a unique mixture of Oriental and

European fashion. This led toe the creation of a Serbian
town costume that became the typical clothing of women.
This costume included a fistan (a long dress), a chest scarf,
a fur coat, a l ibade (jacket), a f es (small red hat made of
cloth) and a tepeluk (decoration for the head i nstead of a
fes). In addition, belts, jewelry, parasols, gloves and fans
were imported from the West.
11

12

The First Empress of Serbia

It was said that Persida Karadjordjevi (1813 - 1873) actually

ran the state and not her husband, Duke Aleksandar. The
duchess came from the house of Nenadovi and was a very
beautiful woman with an excellent sense for fashion. She wore
silk and velvet gowns, fully pleated, with a r ound or "V" cut .
Over the top part of her dress she wore a s ilk scarf crossed
over the chest. As all women who sported high Serbian fashion,
she donned a velvet "skuteljka" (jacket) with rich fur. In addition,
Duchess Persida sometimes wore satin "libade" (another sort of
jacket) with golden ornaments. Her favorite colours were dark
red, cream, dark green...
13

29

30 , , 1840.

14

"Noble" and "grand"

There were some who thought that it would be good to introduce real nobility with estates in Serbia. Milo decided
against this plan because he t hought it was improper. Instead of titles such as "noble", "grand" etc. Milo introduced
only one: "sir". That gave a r eason for clerks to decorate
themselves depending on their position. Milo thought it was
too much, because they looked in one moment as if they
were Dukes. That was the reason why he ordered the clerk
uniforms to be simplified.
15

28

29 , 1840.

16

"Jerrys" and "Parisians"

In the 1850s it was a custom in Serbia to send students

abroad to school. Who went to France was called "Parisian",
and who went to Austria and Hungary was called a "Jerry".
The two streams conflicted at the end of the "constitution defenders'" regime. Jerrys claimed that Parisians were not experienced enough and lacked practical knowledge. They
laughed at them as being "hot-headed"... Parisians, on the
other hand, accused Jerrys of being "pseudo-experts", far
from real science, and s aying that they were "Jacks of all
trades, but masters of none". Parisians were also accused to
be too liberal leading to revolution. The passionate fight between The Parisians and The Jerrys began to calm down
when a "Parisian" Kosta Nikolajevi became father in law of
Duke Aleksandar Karadjordjevi...
17

Handsome Paja"

After the death of Belgrade's Arch Episcope Melentije, whom

duke Milo "sincerely" mourned, Pavle Jovanovi was elected, somewhat unexpectedly (1833-1859). According to descriptions, Pavle was exceptionallygood-looking, and was
thus nicknamed "handsome Paja". He was of average
height, with a pair of lively dark eyes, and a skilled public
speaker. In sermons that he held immediately before Duke's
fall, he laid out the basic ideas of the "defenders of constitution" movement. In fact, the speech had such an impression
on crown prince Milan that he suggested that these ideas be
published in a separate book.
18

19

20

Intelligent and seductive coquette

Anka Obrenovi (1821-1868), the most gifted daughter of

Lord Jevrem and his wife Tomanija, was, as her contemporaries describe her, an intelligent and seductive coquette.
One of those "fammes fatales" of the 19th century that influenced not only the social life of Belgrade, but also played a
part in hidden political dealings. One of Anka's photographies from her younger age show her playing the piano
in a de collete ball gown...". Anka wrote interesting poems,
translated from several languages and was the most educated and intelligent woman during that period in Serbia.
21

22

Enigmatic Duke Mihailo

Duke Mihailo (1823 - 1868) was completely withdrawn as a

person, and he preferred silence and solitude. Excluding his
most intimate friends and family he was not close to anyone.
He never visited anyone; in his first four years as the head of
the government, he made only two social visits. In his court,
he accepted as guests, besides the audiences, only his ministers, president of council Mr. Marinkovi, and two assistants of the ministry; Miloje Ljeanin and Miloje Petronijevi.
He most often dined alone. Always serious, abstracted and
moody, he moved only amongst his most inner circle of family and ministers, and cut off from the rest of the world. One
innate tightness and melancholy of character, amplified with
aristocratic disdain, condemned Mihailo to a life of aristocratic privacy and enigmatic inaccessibility. It is rather strange,
says one of his admirers, how such a noble ruler as Mihailo
has so little close friends... For better part of his day he r esides in his study, sitting motionless behind his desk. He always read or wrote... but almost anything he wrote, he tore
soon after.
23

"The most cunning of all Serbs"

Proficient, agile and capable to use the smallest opportunity

for his own goals, Braznavac (1824 - 1873) knew how to get
to the position as a minister and to hold on to that position
which he did using with his subtle tricks. He had no special
talents, but couild adapt well to all situations. He belonged to
a special kind of people, with a tendency to mystify their
work. Braznavac was using moments of fall, crises and defeats as a backup to his own success... Just when one was
expecting his decline, he would rise swiftly. Equally, when he
was expecting to suceed, he would have run out of strength.
His contemporaries claimed that he was the most cunning of
all the Serbs in that period.
24

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63 (...) 1850-1860. , .

25

26

A real Parisian

According to Slobodan Jovanovi, Aim umi (1836 1901) was the best orator in Serbia because he had a tremendous strength of voice... No actor could have given such
energy in pronouncing any word as well as he did, when he
said the word thief. When he accused someone of being a
thief, the strength of the word seemed stronger than any
possible evidence. umi was really a fashionable man.
With blue sideburns and a silk white scarf, gloves and puttees, he looked as if he were a real Parisian. Nevertheless,
when one observes him carefully, his evil look, dark complexion reflected a t rue peasant, easy on t he trigger. His
somewhat threatening looks supplemented his dark and bitterer attitude towards things. On the other hand, he had a
way with the audience. He also greeted every single man for
the sake of his popularity.
27

Duke's guard

Hatisherif (decree of Serbia's autonomy) was red on D ecember 30, 1830. on Tasmajdan. A lot of people witnessed
that moment, and therefore had an opportunity to see for the
first time the Serbian army in uniform, "The Duke's Guard",
and to hear military band playing marches from Serbian arias...
28

58

57 1903.

29

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47 , 1850-70.

30

"In Paris and wearing a hat"

Until his first journey to Paris in 1852. Garasanin wore a koporan and a fes. During his stay in Paris, he had to visit
many authorities, including Napoleon III himself, so naturally
his wardrobe had to change to one more fitting of a diplomat
a tailcoat and a hat. Therefore Garasanin found himself for
the first time dressed by European standards. In his letters
to Knicanin he declares: "Here I am in Paris and wearing a
hat! It is not my fault that our doctors could not cure me, so I
have to be cured in a place where hats are worn."
He also wrote to the President of the Council: "I am dressed
like a real dandy, with my hat bent, enjoying it all...".
News on Garasanin's new lifestyle astonished Belgrade. His
closest friends made jokes on his account and laughed at
him, calling him "a proud peacock" etc.
31

32

An Aristocrat and a gentleman

Duke Mihailo (1823 - 1868) was a distinguished man, an

aristocrat, a cavalier, a gentleman, a good s hooter and a
rider. He was a great admirer of race horses, and was the
first Serb to build tennis courts and cricket fields. In special
occasions Mihailo wore a special uniform: a gilt kalpak (highcrowned cap), dolama (pea coat) called "Attila", saber decorated with diamantes, spurs with brilliants. He had a special
military uniform: red tunic, white trousers, three-pointed hat
with oversized ostrich feathers, scarf ornamented with gold
and plated saber.
By his education and beh avior, steady and w ith dignity, he
was the most noble person in Serbia. He was straight, honorable, honest, noble; he had a gr eat sense of duty, principality, and was truly a great patriot.
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34

Nether beauty, nor a European lady

In his "Notes..." Kosta Hristi described Duchess Julia (1831

- 1919), whom he had known very well, as a l ady of "average height, but elegant, with a per fect bust. That her face
was white and clear as alabaster, her eyes black and brilliant, her eyebrows fine-drawn, her nose well-formed, her
mouth oddly small, and her lips full and ruddy. On the other
hand, Franjo Zah, who also knew Julia well, pointed out that
"she was neither a h eavenly beauty, as people would say,
and not even a European lady, but a tiny little woman, a faded beauty, and not so charming."... Duchess Julia was "very
sensitive to cold, whose skin was intolerant to temperature
changes." Her writing was masculine. She preferred scarves
and jewelry. She spoke German fluently, and i n her spare
time she enjoyed drawing. With her European pulse, Julia
had enchanted a s mall Belgrade society, which described
her "as pretty as a fairy". However, numerous photographs
from Belgrade period show that Julia was not as pretty and
attractive as said, but her appearance was somewhat plain
in comparison to the handsome Duke Mihailo."
35

36

37

Talented but light-headed

In the first half of the 19th century, edomilj Mijatovi (1842 1942) was an easy and fluent spokesman, with youthful
freshness... He was talented, but also light-headed. He accepted the ideas of others hastily and a little bit unadvisedly.
However, by virtue of his gift, principality and ho nesty, he
was still honored by society.
38

39

Age for marrying

In 1837, Serbian law set the minimum age at which people

could be m arried. It was seventeen for men and fifteen for
women. The clergy was warned not to marry anyone below
that age. This law was made because Serbs had a custom
to marry young children so they could avoid "danak u k rvi"
(taking children to Istanbul). This way the Turks could not
spoil the Serbian marriages once they became legal.
40

25

26 , 1890.

41

Divorce in Serbia

The Orthodox church allowed three marriages at most. If

one wanted to get married after the death of third wife or
husband, it would need to be blessed by the church authority. Divorces in 19th century Serbia were, as in all Europe,
very rare and mostly caused because of some sort of deception, spouse's health, an incapability to work or consummate
the marriage. In seeking divorce, men often appealed on the
grounds of the wife's lack of work in the house or infidelity,
while women appealed to physical or mental abuse, infidelity
of incapability to provide financial security.
42

40

41 , 1890. ,. .

43

Serbs of Moses's faith

Sephardi Jews came across Turkey and Bosnia to Serbia

somewhere in the early XVI century. Ashkenazi Jews were
settled in Vojvodina by the order of Maria Teresia. The integration of Jews began with their entrance into the Serbian
army by the law of constitution from 1869. At the end of XIX
century they began to assimilate with the Serbian population. Many of them added "ic" to their surname, declaring
themselves as Serbs, but remain unchristianised, known as
Serbs of Moses's faith. In 1874. there were 2049 Jews and
that was 0,15% of the population in Serbia. About 1754 of
them lived in Belgrade and this constituted 6,35% of the
population in 1910. This percentage rose up to 0,21%, but in
Belgrade it declined to 4,66% of the Jewish population.
44

67

66 , 1880.

45

Joyful Serbs

Kanic wrote that in Europe there aren't many nations that

had, like the Serbs, kept their original, complete, national
character. For centuries they were separated from the rest of
Europe, they were mostly out of it's civilizational achievements. Sense of family life, patriotism, pride towards past
and freedom, and great personal bravery in all of their social
ranks show themselves to be pretty much alive, even now
days. With persistent toughness they guard their habits and
their customs. These virtues give them a mark of distinct peculiarity... The physiognomy of a Serb is given away by his
good nature and intelligence. He is of a steady character
and hospitable, and has warrior traits that even the ancient
Byzantine appreciated. Very proud, he the Serb is also
wise and clairvoyant. It is not in the nature of the Serb to lie,
but he can very rarely, almost never, be lied to. He knows
what is his right and he gives his ideals up only with great
uneasiness. Serbs excel with their eloquence in lawsuits and
truly act as real lawyers. In disputes they can be temperamental, but their dignity prevents them from going over the
line. This trait has led duels and blood feuds to be practically
unheard of among them. In commerce, the Serb combines
German diligence and I talian entrepreneurship... and he
rarely ventures in to malfeasance or fraud.
46

38

39 (1862 1908)

47

President of the government

Phillip Hristi , the son of Karadjordje's bimbasha (commandant), Hrista Djordjevi from Samkov, was born only two
years after the assassination of Karadjordje, 1819, in mostly
Turkish Belgrade. He died two years after the assassination
of King Aleksandar and Queen Draga, 1905. The climax of
Hristi's career was definitely his presidency of the seventeenth government, after he was persuaded by Duke Mihailo
to form it.
48

49

Vladimir Jovanovi, a Liberal

Vladimir Jovanovi (18331922) was a liberal, deeply convinced in the enlightenment and much of his understanding
of democracy was based on the writings of John Stewart
Mill. In fact, Jovanov decided to translate Mill's discussion on
government into Serbian.
50

35

36 , 1880, , 1890.

51

By the fashion of The second Empire

Jovan Risti (1831- 1899), deputy of King Milan and King

Aleksandar Obrenovi, was a diplomat and a politician,
leader of the liberal party, president of the government... In
according with his position, he wore sideburns, mustache by
the fashion of The second Empire...

Sociable, cheerful and hospitable

Kosta Tauanovi (1852 - 1902) was extremely sociable,

cheerful and hospitable to everyone. Radicals from province
were always his guests, and Kosta's home was open to all of
them. A s a political leader, he knew how to gather good
men around him...
52

30

31 , , 1880.

53

Corporal punishment

Avram Petrovi remembers that under Duke Mihailo freedom of speech was aggravated. For even the smallest of
insults against the government, one could be sent to jail.
Nothing could be sent for publishing until it was reviewed
and approved. In the period prior to the abolition of law concerning corporal punishment, police and serfs throughout the
villages could sentence any man in Serbia, save clerks and
priests, to beatings. Police had the right of 25 sticks, serfs of
10 and court of 50 sticks. The law of corporal punishment
was abolished on D ecember 11. 1873 by ore Ceni. He
was the acting minister of justice and professor of law. A t
this point the government in Serbia was already firmly in the
grasp of the nineteen year old Duke Milo Obrenovi.
54

57

56 , 1903.

55

56

Convince me, if you can!

With his ideas, colored by socialism, Svetozar Markovi was

quickest to sway students and young intellectuals. Essence
of his teachings was in the critical analysis of people and society and taking on a position where nothing should be taken on good faith as they used to say instead all should
undergo evaluation under your own common sense. Because of that, period around 1870. was filled with debates.
Pale young men with long uncombed hair, and many of them
as pointed out by Slobodan Jovanovi although not
short-sighted, were wearing glasses, and would walk around
in groups, and always debate one t hing or the other. They
called themselves thinkers and anything that could not be
proven as one plus one equals two, they would cast aside as
prejudicial. In their company one could often hear: Convince
me, if you can!
57

Coastal leventa

Duke Medo Puci (18211882) was, according to Slobodan

Jovanovi, a classicaly educated poet and a member of
several societies.
In the court of Obrenovis he worked as a tutor to the young
King Milan. Medo Puci behaved as a typical "coastal leventa (vagabond), who only ate and slept, considering his position as a sinecure".
58

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35 , 1880, , 1870.

59

The beauty of Queen Natalia

edomilj Mijatovi wrote in his memoires that Queen Natalia

(1859 - 1941) was very beautiful with her expressible brown
eyes -- a typical eastern beauty. And Laza Kosti described
her beauty as gracious and sophisticated. Even Queen Natalia herself was completely aware of her beauty and compared herself to a "small goddess"...
60

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16 , 1982, , 1882.

61

Foppery of King Milan

King Milan (1854 - 1901) was, as per Slobodan Jovanovi,

as much a spender as his father. And to top that, he had a
strand of Vlach foppery that he inherited from his mother. In
his court spendings were twice what they were in Duke
Mihailo's court. While Mihailo's house budget was 1.500 gold
pieces a month, Milan's was 3.000. The champagne and
bordeaux were not really drunk as much as they were
poured, almost like in some Polish noble home just before
ruin. One ordinary hunt would cost 3.000 gold pieces. As he
ruled his own home, so he ruled in everything else: often he
used a suit only once or twice before immediately throwing it
away or giving it to someone as a gift; he used between two
or three pairs of gloves a day. He had a passion for buying
things, especially female jewelry. He was plentiful and generous and whoever did him the slightest favor would immediately be c ompensated; cones of fifty or one hundred gold
pieces were handed out as easy as cigarettes. His tips were
fantastic, in Vienna, he gave five Forint tips for a simple cup
of coffee. Even the New Court, which started being built in
1882, was like Milan: shiny and luxurious.
62

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37 , 1880 - 1890.

63

21

22 , 1890.

64

Neither beautiful, nor lovable

King Milan (1854 - 1901) was a h andsome man and in his

time he was thought of as highly desirable. As his contemporaries described him, he w as quick and reckless in all matters concerning romance, and would easily fall in and out of
love. He was, according to Lazar Kosti, a real skirtchaser. King Milan fell deathly in love with an ordinary citizen, Artemiza, the spouse of Milan Hristi, a clerk of the ministry of external affairs. Artemiza was a Greek woman born
in Constantinople. One contemporary describes her as neither beautiful, nor in proper youth, nor charming, and above
all bad-mannered. To King Milan, however, she seemed
completely different. He could not find words to describe her
beauty and wits, he found her better in politics than most of
his ministers... He acted out like a love driven school-boy.
Belgrade residents could often see him as he ran up t he
stairs to Artemizas apartment, panting, with as many flowers
in his hands as a man could carry. He would often spend
several hours at her place, and when he was not there, she
would send notes and letters to him hourly.
65

"Timid schoolboy"

People who had the chance to get acquainted with King Aleksandar Obrenovi (1889 - 1903) described him as a m an
hard to figure out. At first he made an impression of a "modest, timid schoolboy". To others he seemed very cold and
distant, passionless". His tone, movements, thoughts, emotion all of these things were unusually silent and cold, as if
he were not a human being...
66

6 , 1882.

67

Liberal style

In the early 1850s, the primary liberal group was composed

of younger intellectuals, educated abroad, the so called "Parisians". Most of them were born in the country. They gathered in their "club", in the apartment of Mr. Alimijevi and Mr.
Jankovi, to discuss political issues. They argued for: the
complete freedom of the Serbian people, their unification,
and for national integration and independence. With a great
deal of romantic idealization of Serbian medieval history, the
liberals had a tendency to be nationalists.
68

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34 , 1870-1890.

69

Radical style

In 1881. when they entered the parliament, radicals were

clearly distinguished from the rest of the ministers. There
were three types. First, the f arm bosses, led by Dimitrije
Tajsi, were easily recognized by their peasant attire and
opanci (peasant shoes). Second, the small-town merchants.
They were represented by Rista Ivanovi from Golubac, Jovan Jovanovic from abac and Arsa Drenovac from
Kruevac. They were dressed similarly to clerks, but instead
of redingote, they wore a short coat, often without a neckscarf and always wearing boots. City radical intelligence was
the most numerous in the Parliament. They wore long black
coats, redingotes, with black hats with wide rims, which were
thought to be symbols of socialism. Peasants, being patriarchal, shaved their beards, while intellectuals all wore long
beards. The radical elite were priests, such as Lazar Martinovi...
70

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74 , 1910.

71

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73 , 1856 - 1914.

72

77

75 , . 1898. , .

73

74

Witty, clever and agile

When Ljubomir Kaljevi (1841 - 1907) became president of

the government in 1875, he was only 34 years old. He was
described by his contemporaries as a typical man from
Uice: witty, clever and agile, extremely well educated, finely
dressed, very sociable with good connections in all political
circles. He was rich, with a gr and house on Terazije. He
gathered young intelligent liberals and formed the first political club in Serbia. Kaljevi was passionate for politics and he
spent a great deal of his fortune on "public business". He
had a l ovely carriage and horses, expensive furniture, a l ibrary...
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76

Noble manners of Djordje Simi

Djordje Simi (1843 -1921) was the son of a great defender

of constitution Stojan Simi. In the "peasant country" that
Serbia was at the time, Simi looked as if he were an aristocrat. He was educated in Germany and France to be a diplomat and served in Sofia, Saint Petersburg, Istanbul, Rome
and Vienna. Djordje's noble manners came natural. He was
a handsome man and wherever he went he had made a
good impression, though he had a bad sense of humor.
77

Merchants from Belgrade

In the middle of 19th century, the towns were three times

wealthier than the villages. The average townsmen's property was worth 41 gold coins, while the countrymen's was
worth only 15. Although they were only 8,81% of the population, the citizens, living in towns, owned over 20% immobile
goods in the principality of Serbia. Merchants were usually
the wealthiest citizens in the towns.
They also travelled the most and from their journeys and
brought not only goods, but also new ideas, knowledge, customs and habits. They devoted much to their children's education -- particularly to their male heirs. The sons of the
merchants were often educated to be clerks. On the other
hand, while craftsmen were by far the most numerous in the
towns, they belonged to the middle class.
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38 , 1870-1900. , .

79

Belgrade clerks

Less than 10% of the town's population were clerk families,

and although only clerks in high positions were considered
wealthy, their influence was far greater than one would expect. Teachers were, in comparison with clerks, relatively
low-paid, but it was nevertheless a very respectable job. The
clergy had the smallest number of men, but their position
was extremely good in comparison to other European countries.
An officer was allowed, according to a l aw from 1862, to
marry only if he or his future bride had an estate valued at
least 500 golden coins.
But 10% of town population were peasants and lived in the
suburbs and often had small estates.
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48 , 1897. , .

81

Intellectual nouveau riche

Intellectual "nouveau riche", often born in the country, continued their education abroad. Such indiviudals were criticized as being stuffed with science and morally spoiled by it.
Confused by foreign theories, they could not cope with Serbian situations. Educated primitives could not restrain their
ambition, thinking that their foreign diploma gave them right
to do w hatever they wanted. On the other hand, being
abroad did not draw these men from their country. Their faith
in Serbia and its future remained undamaged. Truly ambitious, but not crooked, they were mostly uncorrupted... Intellectual "nouveau riche" showed to be much more capable in
foreign policy than in domestic affairs. Two great examples
were Ilija Garaanin and Jovan Risti. The nationalist tradition with the myth of Kosovo gave intellectuals a certain goal
and strength... In domestic policy they were infected by political parties, especially in 1880s with the appearance of The
Radicals. Political parties spread their power into all possible
fields, even science and literature. It conquers masses by
the leadership of Nikola Pasi, Pera Todorovi and Kosta
Tausanovi.
82

31

32 , 1870-1890.

83

84

Vain and sensitive like a woman

Milan Piroanac (1837 - 1897) was a young conservative, initiator of the journal "umadija". He was appreciated for his
logical attitude towards politics. Tall and slim, he resembled
a giraffe, according to Mr. Jovanovi. He was unexpectedly
vain and sensitive like a woman or, on the other hand,
sharp, impetuous and irreconcilable, which was a bad characteristic for a statesman, but also a great one for a lawyer,
which he showed representing Queen Natalia during her divorce trial with King Milan.
85

Belgrade arch bishops

In 1882 there was a feud between Stojan Novakovi, the

acting minister of education, and archbishop Mihailo (1826 1898), head of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The conflict
was partially caused by the archbishop who was in favor of
the Liberal party and R ussia, and against the conservative
and pro-Austrian politics of progressive government led by
Milan Piroanac. After a short investigation Novakovi ruled
that archbishop Mihailo was a rebel and that he took on himself the role of third legislative power in the country and
immediately pleaded to Duke Milan to relieve him of his duty,
which Duke Milan did, on October 18. 1882. Instead he
placed bishop Teodosije on the church throne. Archbishop
Mihailo Jovanovi emigrated to Mount Athos, and afterwards
to Russia, and from there he became a great nuisance to the
government and even to the King with his severe critics of
Milan's regime. Only after King Milan abdicated in 1889,
Mihailo returned to Serbia and r eclaimed the church throne
as archbishop.
86

32

33 , 1880.

87

Viennese fashion

Besides Queen Natalia, who was exceptionally beautiful, Katarina Bogievi-Konstantinovi, cousin of King Milan, had a
new dress for each occasion made in "Francine" in Vienna
or "Monasterlia" in Budapest. Dresses were mostly made of
silk, rep, satin, moir and silk velvet, and rarely in lace. In all
occasions, dresses were worn long. Gowns for balls had a
train. Lilac was the most fashionable colour...
88

73

71 , 1900. , .

89

Women of Belgrade

Pavle Apolonovi Rovinski had wrote in his memoirs of Serbia, dating from 1868. and 1869, that Serbian women, even
when they are not educated, in their conversations can behave in such a m anner, that lack of their education seems
non apparent, and which, when compared to women that
had completed an institute, can be placed above the latter. I
am yet to find a bad woman in a good man's home. They
treat their chidlren well, keep them very clean, and do not
punish them. The Serbian women are excellent cooks. Especially so with wheat delicacies pies, strudels, donuts,
gingerbread, and s o on, and with all manners of excellent
almighty jams. They are said to enjoy to dandy-up. I haven't
noticed that. Their clothing is almost uniform-like: on t heir
head a r ed fez with a ponytail, round up in hair, tied with
some lace, and the ends of
90

20

21 . , 1914.

91

8 , 1910. .

92

74

72 , 1908.

93

Sadraj

"Fistan", "libade" and "tepeluk" ............................................... 2

"Jeerma", "vest" and "dolama" .............................................. 3
Mrs. Tomanias corner.......................................................... 4
"Jelek" and" anteria" ............................................................... 5
The First Empress of Serbia ................................................... 6
"Town mayor".......................................................................... 7
"Noble" and "grand" ................................................................ 8
"Jerrys" and "Parisians" .......................................................... 9
Handsome Paja" .................................................................. 10
Intelligent and seductive coquette ........................................ 11
Enigmatic Duke Mihailo ........................................................ 12
"The most cunning of all Serbs"............................................ 13
A real Parisian ...................................................................... 14
Duke's guard ......................................................................... 15
"In Paris and wearing a hat" ................................................. 16
An Aristocrat and a gentleman ............................................. 17
Nether beauty, nor a European lady ..................................... 18
Talented but light-headed ..................................................... 19
Age for marrying ................................................................... 20
Divorce in Serbia .................................................................. 21
Serbs of Moses's faith........................................................... 22
Joyful Serbs .......................................................................... 23
94

President of the government................................................ 24

Vladimir Jovanovi, a Liberal ................................................ 25
By the fashion of The second Empire................................... 26
Sociable, cheerful and hospitable ......................................... 26
Corporal punishment ............................................................ 27
Convince me, if you can! .................................................... 28
Coastal leventa ..................................................................... 29
The beauty of Queen Natalia ................................................ 30
Foppery of King Milan ........................................................... 31
Neither beautiful, nor lovable.............................................. 32
"Timid schoolboy" ................................................................. 33
Liberal style ........................................................................... 34
Radical style.......................................................................... 35
Witty, clever and agile........................................................... 36
Noble manners of Djordje Simi ........................................... 37
Merchants from Belgrade ..................................................... 38
Belgrade clerks ..................................................................... 39
Intellectual nouveau riche................................................... 40
Vain and sensitive like a woman .......................................... 41
Belgrade arch bishops .......................................................... 42
Viennese fashion .................................................................. 43
Women of Belgrade .............................................................. 44

95

SERBIAN FASHION
(1850-1914)

Editor: mr Vladimir Anelkovi

foto:
arhiva TOB-a, zbirka Kasine, zbirka M. Juriia, zbirka M.
Stojanovia, arhiv Art Press.
Print: Gip KRUG

Art Press, Beograd, 2013

96