Morning Dress – Autumn 1825

A woman and a small child hold hands and walk together. The woman is dressed in a long white gown which is belted slightly above the natural waist with pink ribbon. The bodice has vertically ruching and horizontal bands of pink ribbon at the sides of a v. A wide falling collar with pink ribbon edging and a narrow ruffle around the curved hem is fastened at the front of the neckline with an oval gold brooch set with a black stone.

The long sleeves are trimmed at the shoulder with a zigzag pattern of pink ribbon with bows at the points edging small areas of puffing or ruching. At the cuffs are three horizontal bands of pink ribbon gathering in the sleeves. The hem of the skirt is banded with a section of white, gathered into vertical high and low ribbons, with a pink bow at the top of each. These ribbons are shown as white, but may have been meant to be pink, matching all the other ribbons, and were just not colored. She wears yellow gloves and matching yellow slippers with small bows, and carries her wide-brimmed straw hat with pink ribbon ties and a white veil. The woman has her hair up in a knot of curls, and wears pink pendant earrings.

Holding the woman’s hand is a small child wearing a Scottish style outfit. The green plaid short dress has a scoop neck edged with a narrow ruffle and lacing up the center of the bodice. Below the waist is an apron designed to look like a sporran. Behind the child blowing in the breeze may be seen the fringed ends of plaid from where it is wrapped at the right armhole. The child wears a black Scottish tam, edged with red and white plaid, and trimmed with black feather plumes and a red and white badge or cockade. The same red and white plaid ribbon is visible at the waistline, and white short stockings are trimmed or cross-gartered in red to match ; low black slippers with bows or ties at the front complete the outfit.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges