Fashions – Spring 1844

Five women are depicted. The woman at the top left wears a white lace cap with pink roses. Her dress is white and edged in blue cartridge pleating at the center front of the bodice and overskirt, and at the hems of her elbow length sleeves. Underneath is a yellow bodice or underdress, and she wears white gloves and carries a flower. The woman at the center wears a white bonnet with white plumes and rows of small pink flowers inside the brim.

Her dress is blue, laced up the front in white, with a white lace collar at the high V-neck. A tasseled cord encircles her waist. The woman at the top right wears a green headpiece or hair ornament decorated with yellow flowers and ribbon. Her dress is light pink with a deep V-neck, layered lapels, and a darker pink ribbon tied at her waist. Her sleeves are bracelet length, and she wears white gloves, and a narrow bracelet.

The woman at the bottom left wears a pink bonnet with ruffles and a wide pink dotted ribbon tie. Her dress is purple with blue and deeper purple stripes, with the skirt front and bodice edged with pleated ruffles. The collar is white lace, and the undersleeves are white gathered into tiers and ending in ruffled cuffs. The oversleeves are split below the elbow to show the undersleeves, which are also laced across in black. She wears tan gloves. The woman at the bottom right wears a white bonnet with a cartridge pleated red and yellow striped ribbon.

Her dress is green and edged in black cartridge pleated ruffles on the bodice, skirt front, and upper and lower sleeve hems. The upper sleeves are short and layered over the bracelet length lower sleeves. Underneath she wears a white garment with a high neck, a lace collar, and vertical pleating on the bodice and sleeves. The waist is finished with piping.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges