Bridal Fashions – Spring 1855

Two women are depicted in a parlor. The woman on the left sits in a gold upholstered chair. She wears a white lace cap accented with pink flowers and white ribbon. Her dress has a white lace blouse collar and long bell sleeves. Her dress is vivid blue with rose pink trimmings. There are four stripes of pink on the sleeves and two running from her shoulders to the middle of her waist.

On the skirt, there are three at the hem of a knee-level overskirt, and three at the hem. The woman standing on the right wears a bridal gown. Her hair is pulled back softly and covered with a white lace veil at the back of her head, trimmed with small white flowers. The veil falls to about a foot above the floor. Her dress has a wide white lace collar edged with a ruffle, and long, wide sleeves. The sleeves are edged with wide lace ruffles, and bloused undersleeves are gathered at her wrists.

The upper sleeves are slashed and edged with white satin, with flowers at the elbows in front. Her dress has a plain skirt; all the elaborate decoration is on the bodice, with the peplum also trimmed in lace ruffles, and a row of small buttons down the center front and another flower ornament at her waist. She wears white gloves. Behind her is a tall folding screen, and on the other side is a drapery with a tie back, and a sideboard or fireplace with a vase resting on it. There is an edge of a red and brown carpet visible on the wooden floor.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges