Brown lining?

Have you ever looked at those gorgeous Victorian dresses they have in museums and noticed the lining fabric? Nine times out of ten, the fabric is a boring brown color. You, like me, might be thinking, "Brown? Brown? What's up with that?"

Turns out, those Victorians weren't so silly after all. Brown polished cotton was a special kind of cotton fabric that was impregnated with wax. This kind of lining formed an inner shield on the garment, keeping body odors and sweat from staining the fabric of the dress.

Polished cotton is still available and brown is still a nice, functional color for lining. Here is a photo of a dress from the 1860s showing the brown polished cotton lining.