French Fashions – c.1860s

Four women are gathered around a piano. The woman on the far left wears her hair back with a black ribbon braided into it. Her dress is light pink with an off the shoulder neck, short sleeves and a pointed waist. The bodice is decorated with white tucked and ruffled bands that cross over. Her overskirt is white, trimmed with wide pink ribbon at the side that ends with a bow, and her underskirt is pink. The neck is edged with a narrow white ruffle, and her sleeves are trimmed with wide pink bows.

She wears white gloves, and a wide gold bracelet, and carries a closed fan. The woman next to her wears her hair back, dressed in ringlets at the back, with ribbon and small flowers. She reaches forward to turn the page of the music on the piano. Her light blue dress is off the shoulder, with elbow length sleeves. Her dress has a wide white lace collar, with with blue rosettes down the front. She wears a wide gold bracelet of oval motifs. The woman in the center is seated playing the piano. She wears her hair back, done in elaborate rolls decorated with green leaves, and diaphanous white ribbon which trails down her back. Her dress is green and off the shoulder.

She has short sleeves and a pointed waist. Her skirt has horizontal stripes. Her neck has white ruffles, and her sleeves have diaphanous white oversleeves hanging loosely to below her waist. She wears a fine gold necklace, and a wide gold bracelet with an oval motif on her right wrist. The woman on the right is seated and wears a short black lace head scarf with red flowers. Her dress is white with a wide square neck, short sleeves and a pointed waist. Her dress has stripes of red edged with narrow black lace at her neck, sleeves, and on her overskirt.

Her underskirt has tiers of white flounces edged with red trim and narrow black lace. She wears a black lace shawl draped across her elbows, and holds a small bouquet of flowers in her left hand. She wears white gloves and a gold bracelet on each arm. All the skirts are very wide; it is the height of the crinoline fashion.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges