Afternoon Dress – Winter 1800

Two women wear afternoon dress for December 1800. The woman on the left is seated and wears a white gown with an empire waist and long sleeves. The collar is a standing ruff with pointed edges on a v-neck. She wears a red bead choker necklace. Her cap is gold with a line of yellow dots, a line of red dots, and two white plumes.

The woman is playing the harpsichord while turning the pages of the music. She turns to face the other woman while seated on a wooden bench with a bright pink cover. The woman on the right is standing and wears a white floor length long sleeved gown. She wears a red belt with a gold buckle and the neck is trimmed with red ribbon and a narrow white lace ruffle.

There is a gold ornament at the neck and she wears a red bead necklace and matching earrings. Gold and red fabric wraps around her head with two white feathers sticking out. She holds a large tambourine with red accents in her left hand. There are two gold candelabras with white candles on the harpsichord. There are white sheets of paper with curled ends lying on the floor.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges