French Dresses – Summer 1830

The woman on the left wears a green dress with ankle-length skirts and demi-gigot sleeves that puff enormously above the elbow and are tight to the wrist. The bodice of the dress has two sides which wrap over each other and are held closed by a green belt with an elaborate green buckle.

A wide band of darker green trim runs vertically down the front of the dress. The woman wears a white, lacy blouse under her dress: two buttons are visible above the wrapped, green bodice of the dress, and the high collar is composed of two lace ruffs. Her hat is pink, trimmed with pink-and-white striped bows at the crown and on the underside of the brim. The crown is trimmed with white lace and has two long, ribbon streamers that hang down behind. The woman wears black boots, pale blue-gray gloves, dangling earrings, and a wide green bracelet on each wrist. She holds a lace-edged white handkerchief in her left hand. The second woman is seated on an armless chair with a swooping, open back and a yellow cushion.

She faces away from the viewer to better display her white hat, which has a deep brim and is elaborately trimmed with white bows and sprays of white lace. The woman wears a purple dress that is similar to that of her companion. It also has demi-gigot sleeves that puff above the elbow, a belt at the natural waist, and a high, double-ruff collar of white lace. Written in pencil in the upper left is “May 10, 1830.” “1830” has also been written in pencil to the left of the printed text that reads, “Petit Courrier des Dames.”

Credit: The Claremont Colleges