Fashions – Autumn 1844

Journal des Demoiselles 1841 Antique French Bourgeois Parlor Scenes

This genuine hand-colored lithograph from the celebrated Paris periodical Journal des Demoiselles, dated October 1841, depicts a refined domestic interior scene of high-society French lifestyle. The composition features two bourgeois women engaged in literary or artistic study beside an elegant wooden console table adorned with a blue velvet cover and a crystal vase. The seated lady models a spectacular cream and apricot striped evening or dinner dress with a drop-shoulder neckline, accented by thick horizontal velvet bands and detailed polka-dot tier flounces, illustrating the romantic aesthetics favored during the July Monarchy.

Early Victorian Layered Day Dresses and Emerald Green Capote Bonnets

The standing companion emphasizes the strict outdoor and visiting costume etiquette of the early 1840s, clad in a mauve or soft purple silk day dress with fine vertical stripes and structured pleated sleeve caps. She wears an architectural emerald green quilted capote bonnet tied securely with wide silk ribbons, paired with fine cream leather gloves and a delicate white lace collar. Complete with original cursive French typography at the lower margin and signed by the artist, this rare archival print provides impeccable documentation for historical costume designers, 19th-century interior decoration researchers, and antique graphic art galleries.