Fashions – Spring 1844

Five women are depicted. The woman on the top left wears a white bonnet with blue flowers, edged in narrow ruffles. Her light yellow dress has long sleeves and ruffles around the bodice, oversleeves, and hips. The top middle woman wears a yellow bonnet with red flowers and white lace. Her white dress is covered with a pink and blue mantelet.

The mantelet has jagged edging and black fur or velvet lapels. The top right woman wears a white and pink bonnet with plumes and ruffles. Her mint green dress has elbow length sleeves edged with three tiers of white lace ruffles around the cuffs, and a white lace collar. There are four bows down the center front. The woman on the bottom left wears a white bonnet with lace and a row of small red flowers across the brim. Her lavender dress is laced across the front in white and edged with an twining vine pattern.

The belled oversleeves are bracelet length, and her white undersleeves end in wide lace cuffs. The woman at the bottom right wears a yellow bonnet with cartridge pleated light and dark striped blue ribbon. Her yellow dress has narrow gray or black pin stripes, and is long sleeved. Over that she wears a vivid blue mantelet, edged with a black lace. The elbow length sleeves have splits at the front laced across in black.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges