Public Promenade Dress – 1838

A woman appears in public promenade dress for 1838. She wears a mint green, wide brimmed bonnet. The crown of the hat is completely covered with green feathers and pink flowers with green leaves. Her hair is visible, parted down the center, and pink flowers with green leaves adorn her hair. A green ribbon ties into a bow under her chin. She wears a pale lilac colored dress with a white ruffled lace collar. Black lace decorates the shoulder seams and trims the ruffles on the sleeves. Her sleeves are long with a small pleated sections at the top, with a ruffle below a narrow band. She wears pale yellow gloves and holds a white handkerchief, trimmed with lace, in her hand. The skirt is very full and bell shaped. A long column of ruched purple fabric edged with black lace ruffles runs down the center of her skirt. She wears black shoes.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges