French Dresses – Summer 1830

The woman on the left wears a pale pink, off-the-shoulder dress with a full skirt and a fitted bodice. The demi-gigot sleeves puff twice above the elbow and are form-fitting to the pointed, lace-edged cuffs. A wide, white, lace ruffle trims the straight neckline, and the skirt is decorated with a garland of two rows of pink, leaf-shapes, trimmed with white lace.

The woman wears white gloves, flat, black shoes that lace up the ankle, and fishnet-patterned white stockings. Her hat is bright pink with an upturned brim decorated with two lace-edged, leaf-shapes. The crown is trimmed with white lace and pink, spiraling feathers. The woman wears small, round, dangling earrings, a gold cuff bracelet with a blue stone on each wrist, and a very long necklace of blue stones set in gold. Her companion sits in an armless chair with an open back and a yellow cushion. The woman’s back is to the viewer, the better to display her elaborate, white hat.

The crown of the hat is trimmed with white ribbons, bows, lace-edged ruffles, and a large, spiraling feather. The woman wears a green, off-the-shoulder dress with double demi-gigot puffed sleeves like her companion’s. The neckline of the dress is trimmed with a large, white, lace ruffle, and the woman wears a long, gold necklace. Both women’s shoulders are bare.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges