A Night at the Opera – Autumn 1846

A hand-colored nineteenth-century French fashion plate titled ‘Les Modes Parisiennes’ (Pl. 191). The illustration features an elegant Victorian couple standing near an open door that reveals an opera or theatre box audience in the background. The woman on the left wears a voluminous gold or beige crinoline skirt paired with a luxurious, heavily embroidered blue velvet evening cape or mantle tied with a bow at the neck.

She completes her attire with an ornate white bonnet adorned with lace and feathers. The man on the right is dressed in formal evening wear, including a black tailcoat, trousers, white waistcoat, high neckcloth, and a black silk top hat. He holds a walking cane and looks through a monocle toward the woman. Detailed French text at the bottom credits the designers of the clothing, hairstyles, and accessories.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges