Paris Fashions – Spring 1845

This hand-colored 1845 French fashion plate from the magazine Petit Courrier des Dames features two elegantly dressed women in an indoor setting with a green covered table and a red upholstered chair. The woman on the left stands facing away, wearing a grey skirt and an elaborate white lace bonnet, covered by a large blue shawl heavily patterned with traditional multi-colored paisley motifs in shades of red, gold, and green. The woman on the right stands facing forward in a shiny taupe or lavender-grey silk dress with lace paneling on the bodice, a green ribbon bow at her waist, and a matching dark green headpiece with long ribbons hanging down.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges