London Dresses – 1808

Two women in London fashionable dresses. The woman on the left wears a pink bonnet with a sheer white veil which falls to the back. Pink rosettes line the front brim. The neck of her white dress is made of two rows of white dots, perhaps pearls. The dress has short sleeves with tasseled fringe at the edge. She wears a pair of white gloves and holds a white fan in her right hand.

The bodice and sleeves are detailed with stitching. There is an edge of lace or tassels across the neck. The skirt is long and drapes on the floor beside her. She wears white shoes. She sits on a wooden Savonarola chair covered with a light brown shawl or blanket draped over the right chair arm. Her foot rests on a small light brown ottoman. The woman on the right stands and she wears a gold diadem headpiece in her hair, which is dressed in the classical style with gold netting. Three curls hang down her neck. She wears two gold necklaces and a gold bracelet on her upper arm.

Her dress is full length and white with a knee-length top layer. The overdress is dotted and the bottom edge has flower designs and a knotted fringe ending in tassels. The underdress is plain white and floor length. She wears a long blue scarf with a black stripe at the hem draped around her neck. She wears a pair of white gloves and white, flat shoes.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges