American Fashions – Summer 1878

Five women and a little boy are at a dock for a moonlight row. The woman on the far left sits in the boat, facing away. She wears her hair up and loosely braided at the neck, with a pink bow tied at the neck. She wears a small hat with a large pink bow. Her dress is a light pink and black plaid with long sleeves and a black collar.

The sleeves are bias-cut, and the hip length jacket has box pleats at the back. She holds a fan in her hands and wears pearl earrings. The woman next to her stands in the boat and wears a straw hat with blue plumes. Her dress is baby blue and tan vertical stripes. Her sleeves are long bells and the front of the bodice and skirt is laced across a blue underdress. The little boy sits in the boat, ready to row. He wears a gray sailor hat with blue ribbon. His suit is gray with a blue sailor collar. The woman is the center stands on the shore reaching her hand to the woman standing in the boat.

She wears her hair in a roll on the top and back of her head, with hanging ringlets. Her gown is tan and white striped. The jacket has tan lapels and long sleeves. The jacket has a band of cartridge pleating at the hem, and in rows down the sides of the skirt. The front of the skirt has many rows of ruffles. She carries a furled tan parasol in her left hand.

The woman next to her wears her hair decorated with stars. Her dress is white with an off the shoulder neck, short sleeves, and a train. Her dress has draping across the bodice, and ruffles on the skirt. A small bow accents the center back of the neck, and the bodice laces down the back. There are pink roses at the shoulders, and a garland of roses is draped over the back of the dress, which is accented with a large white bow. She wears another garland as a necklace.

Her accessories include earrings, white gloves, gold bracelets, and a gold fan. The woman on the far right wears her hair decorated with pink and yellow flowers. Her dress is gray and white with a low scoop neck and short sleeves. Her dress has white lace and gray pleated ruffles at the neck, on the sleeves, and in three “v”s on the skirt.

The bodice has an overlay of white lace, forming a point below the waist at the front. Her accessories include earrings, a gold necklace, white gloves, gold bracelets on each arm, and a single pink flower corsage. Behind the group is the lake and a pier with an open pavilion, and the moon rising above the hills across the water. Nearer to the group is a balustrade, and two three branched lamp standards, with strings of lanterns hung between them.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges