Beach Costumes – Autumn 1810

Woman on left wears a white dress with a chin-high collar and long, lace-trimmed skirts. Over the dress she wears a long-sleeved pink outer-robe that comes to just above the knees. It has a scoop neck trimmed in white with lacing down the front and white trim along the hem. The woman wears white stockings, flat, pink shoes, and short, buff gloves.

Her hat is straw with an upturned brim and chin bow. It is worn over a white bonnet or mobcap that is trimmed with ruffles and a spray of blue flowers. The woman’s right hand rests on a closed book; her left leans on her companion’s leg. The woman on the right wears a white dress with long skirts, a split, chin-high collar, and long, pointed sleeves reaching below the wrists.

She wears a short, lacy, white cape, white stockings, and flat, peach shoes. Her gloves are short and buff-colored, and she wears a white turban style hat with a white lace ruffle hanging to the left. This woman has her hands on the other woman’s shoulders and seems to whisper in her ear. The two women sit together indoors on a wooden bench.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges