American Fashions – Summer 1878

Late Victorian evening gowns and summer fashion plates from August 1878

This authentic August 1878 fashion plate print from Peterson’s Magazine titled Les Modes Parisiennes The Moonlight Row illustrates elegant Victorian women at a lakeside gathering. The artwork showcases the elongated Natural Form silhouette of the late 1870s decade, featuring tightly tailored bodices, asymmetrical drapery, and detailed low-bustle trains. The figures model high-society evening attire, including a plaid patterned dress inside a wooden rowboat, a striped blue gown, and an exquisite white dress decorated with a trailing garland of pink roses.

Peterson Magazine lakeside party dresses and Illman Brothers engraving archive

Expertly engraved and printed by the renowned American firm Illman Brothers, this antique hand-colored steel plate provides premium primary documentation for costume history. The scene depicts a romantic twilight setting with a visible moon, a garden gazebo, and a young boy in a traditional sailor suit looking on from behind the ladies. Intricate textile details like pleated ruffles, delicate lace borders, and formal folding fans highlight the sophisticated social etiquette and luxury dressmaking trends of the nineteenth century.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges