French Fashions – Summer 1876

Five women are depicted at the seaside, looking out at the ships. The woman on the far left wears her hair up in a coronet of braids with a flower. Her dress is white and light blue, and has three quarter length sleeves, a v-neck, and is trimmed with rows of lace ruffles. At the hem and on the sleeves are bands of pleating.

The woman next to her wears a straw hat with turned up brim, trimmed with purple ribbon bows. Her hair is dressed in waves, drawn back from a center part, and has ringlets at the back. She wears a black ribbon choker and pendant pearl earrings. Her dress is lavender and white stripes with a v-neck and long sleeves. The bodice and skirt button down the front. Wide bias-cut cuffs and the overskirt are edged with ruffles. Her blouse has narrow white ruffles at cuffs and neck.

The woman next to her wears her hair dressed back and up, and she wears a light blue hat decorated with white plumes, white ribbon, black bows, and tied under her chin with white veiling. Her jacket is light blue with a black collar, cuffs, and double breasted buttons. Her overskirt is light blue and has large black bow, with long ends, over the draping at the back. The underskirt is pale gold, with two rows of ruffles, and one of pleating at the hem.

She holds a furled black umbrella in her right hand. The woman next to her wears her hair up, with a black bow at the neck. Her dress is cream with blue pleating at the hem, and sleeves. Over her dress, she wears a black lace trimmed shawl or mantelet with scalloped edging. She carries an open white and blue parasol patterned with flowers in her right hand. The woman on the far right wears her hair up with ringlets at the back.

Her straw hat has red, white, and blue pleated ribbon edging, a black ribbon band with hanging ends, and pink flowers. Her dress is light blue and white striped and has a v-neck edged with a white pleated ruffle. The long sleeves are edged with pleated ruffles, white lace, and are accented with a black bow. The bodice, overskirt, and underskirt are edged with pleats, bias band, and blue ruching. She holds a telescope up to her eye in her left hand, a and rests her right hand on a stone wall.

Behind the group are hills, a town across the bay, a white-sailed boat, and buildings on the same side of the bay, including a castle tower.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges