Bridal Fashions – 1829

Two women are modeling Parisian wedding fashions. The woman on the left sits with her back toward the viewer. Her hair is up and decorated with pearls and sprigs of white flowers with green leaves. A sheer white lace veil is attached to her hair and hangs down her back. She is adorned with a pair of spherical earrings and a triple strand pearl necklace. The neck is edged with a wide, gathered white lace flounce with a scalloped edge. Her sleeves are puffed at the top and cinched around the upper arm.

Sheer fabric covers the rest of her arm. The bodice is plain with piping at the waist. Long laurel patterned garlands run around the lower half of the skirt. The hem is scalloped and a petticoat or undergarment is visible. The woman sits on a wooden chair with a yellow seat cushion. The woman on the right stands facing the viewer. Her elaborately dressed hair is up and decorated with pearls, white flowers with yellow centers, and sprigs of small, white buds with green leaves.

The scalloped top of her veil is visible above her hair and the bottom part can be seen cascading down her back. She wears teardrop earrings and a pearl necklace with a gold, circular pendant in the middle. The top of her bodice is edged with a swath of wide ruched white fabric with a bow in the center. Her sleeves have lace epaulettes over a top layer of sheer sleeves. The sheer fabric is cinched at three different places, which creates three large puffs.

Long white Juliet style sleeves can be seen underneath the sheer layer. Gold bracelets with ovals on top and long, white scalloped trim create the cuffs of her sleeves. She wears a pair of white gloves and holds the end of her veil in one hand and a white book with gold trim in the other. Her bodice is white with small dots and piping at the v-shaped waist. The two-tiered skirt is white with dots. There is a white laurel garland halfway down the top tier.

The edge of the tier is made up of scalloped white lace with a berry pattern. The only part of the bottom tier that is visible is the same laurel pattern and scalloped edge as the top tier. A petticoat or undergarment can be seen. She wears white shoes with white stockings.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges