Equestrian Fashions – 1842

Antique Equestrian Costumes: Early Victorian Horseback Riding Attire

This charming hand-colored engraving, titled “An Equestrian Fashion Plate,” captures the romantic elegance of women’s outdoor leisure fashion during the early Victorian period. Dedicated to the lady readers of Godey’s, the print showcases a lady elegantly mounted side-saddle on a rearing brown horse, wearing a tailored tan riding jacket with ornate embroidery, a crisp blue bow tie, and a straw top hat adorned with fresh flowers. This illustration serves as an invaluable historical reference for the evolution of specialized 19th-century sportswear and equestrian etiquette for women.

Godey’s Lady’s Book Engravings: Vintage Romantic Era Promenade Dresses

Highlighting the contrast between active wear and formal afternoon attire, this rare antique fashion plate features a second figure posing on stone garden steps. She is dressed in a spectacular white lace promenade gown paired with an oversized wide-brimmed straw hat and long emerald-green silk ribbons that frame her face. The scenic backdrop, complete with neoclassical architecture and lush summer foliage, perfectly encapsulates the idealized romantic lifestyle promoted by premier mid-19th-century American and European fashion publications.