German Fashions – Autumn 1888

Two women and a young girl are standing in an elegant room in front of two paintings. The woman on the left is wearing three gold bracelets, a pale yellow dress, trimmed with lace and with red bows and ribbons. The dress has narrow elbow length sleeves, a high collar, and princess seaming. Lace with a flower motif with scalloped edges formed from the petals trims the bodice seams, and forms a jabot at the neck, ruffles at the cuffs, a fall of lace at the back of the skirt. and a tiered underskirt. The dress is decorated with very deep red velvet ribbons at the elbows, the back of the skirt, and as a band crossing the bodice from left shoulder to right hip, with large bows at each end. She wears her hair dressed up with a pink decoration.

She is leaning over a basket of flowers on a tripod stand with two large yellow ribbon bows on the leg of the stand. The young girl at the center is wearing a blue and grey striped dress. She has her hair pulled back with a black bow. The dress has blue buttons, lapels, and a sash, and reaches just below her knees. She wears blue stockings and black button boots.The woman on the right is wearing a high-collared black dress with long narrow sleeves. Black bows trim her sleeves, and black brocade creates side panels on her skirt.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges