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The Footmen
“Suddenly a footman in livery came running out of the wood--(she considered him to be a footman because he was in livery, otherwise, judging by his face only, she would have called him a fish)--and rapped loudly at the door with his knuckles.”
Introduction
Historically, a footman was a male servant who ran beside a carriage to make sure it was not overturned by obstacles. In the nineteenth century, employing a footmen was essentially a status symbol, as only the richest houses could afford non-essential personnel. Since a footman was for show as much as for use, a tall footman was more highly prized than a short one, and good looks, including well-turned legs, which were shown off by the traditional footman's dress of stockings worn below knee breeches, an advantage. (Wikipedia)
The scene between the footmen in Alice is yet another bit of nonsense and irrationality in Wonderland. It also provides an opportunity for Carroll to make a small math joke, playing off the idea of the inverse in the exchange: “ For the Duchess. An invitation from the Queen to play croquet.' The Frog-Footman repeated, in the same solemn tone, only changing the order of the words a little, 'From the Queen. An invitation for the Duchess to play croquet.' ”
The Footmen are a fairly popular subject for illustrators, but not for filmmakers. The Footmen, for the most part, only appear in films with Duchess scene, which is left out of several of the films. A notable exception is Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010) in which many frog footmen are employed in the castle of the Red Queen, despite the fact that in the book it is the Fish Footman that is employed by the Queen of Hearts.
Text
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: Chapter 6
Plain Text, HyperText
Glossary
Livery: A servant’s distinctive standardized outfit, which identified him as belonging to a certain household. (Wikipedia)
Powdered Wig: Although powdered wigs were mainly an eighteenth century fashion (designed to make men look venerable and wise), footmen in the nineteenth century often employed them as part of the traditional livery.
Images
Click on an artist in the right-hand column to see how illustrators ideas of the Footmen have changed over time.
Media
Below you can see two examples of the Footmen as they are portrayed by a few Alice adaptors. Jonathan Miller's (1966) is especially interesting as he is one of the few adaptors that does not employ a large fake Frog's head or Fish's head mask for the actors.
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