French Fashions – Autumn 1847

Two women stand outside. The woman on the left is in a riding outfit. She wears a flat yellow cap with a small brim and short blue veil. A pink kerchief is tied in a bow around the white collar of her blouse. She wears a blue-gray coat with very wide cuff and lapels in masculine style, with intricate embroidery on the collar and cuffs. The coat buttons up the front and at the cuffs. Her skirt is the same blue-gray color and is floor length, but is gathered up at the back for riding. Her hands are gloved and she holds a riding whip with a pink bow tied around the top.

The woman on the right wears a white ruched bonnet decorated with red flowers on the side and tied under her chin with a white ribbon. Her dress is beige with ruffled trimmings around the shoulders and in a serpentine pattern down the center front of the dress. The long sleeves are cuffed with white lace and she has a pair of yellow gloves. The woman is resting her elbow on a green fence, on which her white shawl with fringe is draped. In the background are several trees with leaves that are just turning color for the colder fall weather. A small pond is visible in the background.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges