Dinner and Walking Dresses – Winter 1818

The woman on the left wears a white dinner dress with a peach bodice and trim. It has short, puffed sleeves and an empire waist. The skirt has three ruffled tiers and the collar is a high, lace ruff. She wears white, elbow-length gloves, white shoes, and stockings. Her hair is tucked into an elaborate white bonnet. She sits on a pink and white chair. The woman on the right stands, wearing an empire waist long, blue walking dress. The dress has long sleeves trimmed at the cuffs with three darker blue bands and gold buttons.

The hem and vertical seam are edged with blue and white diagonal stripes, and each gold button is set off with a band of blue that matches those of the cuffs. A diagonal blue band bisects the bodice and is closed with more gold buttons. The dress has a small, blue capelet trimmed in darker blue. The woman’s collar is composed of two high, white ruffles. She wears blue boots and a blue hat trimmed with blue bows and pink flowers that ties under the chin with a blue ribbon.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges