Bridal Fashions – 1858

Two women are standing in the doorway of a Gothic church. The woman on the left wears a wedding dress. Her hair is done in a low bun and the veil is attached with a white flowered headpiece. The veil ends about a foot from the floor. Her dress has a narrow lace collar, long sleeves, and a two tiered skirt, with a row of buttons down the center front of the bodice.

Her sleeves are wide, with lace ruffles, over gathered full sleeves and end above her wrists. At the front of her waist is a wide white ribbon bow. Her bodice has horizontal lace ruffles across the front from her bust to her waist. Her skirt is two tiered and on the bottom of each tier are a series of triangles of ruffled white lace with white bows on the bottom tier between the triangles. She wears white gloves.

The woman on the right wears a brown bonnet with pink flowers and a blue plume, with matching blue ribbons. Her dress is brown with a jewel neck, long bell sleeves, and a three tiered skirt. Her blouse has white full sleeves gathered into cuffs edged in scallops. Her skirt has a wide blue horizontal stripe at the bottom of each tier. She wears white gloves and gold bracelets on each wrist. The church poor box is visible on the wall.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges