Regency Fashions – 1808

A woman and child lean against an Empire style table, displaying their London fashions for an evening party. The gowns they wear evoke the styles of ancient Greece and Rome with classical details such as the implied egg and dart pattern down the center of the woman’s gown. Her gown is long and white with an empire waistline, and has short puffed sleeves. It has a straight horizontal neckline. A band of vertical ovals decorates the front of the dress, and a narrow band of zigzags trims the sleeves.

The zigzags are repeated vertically on the bodice, across the neckline, and around the top of the oval trim. All the trimming is white on white. The woman drapes a long green shawl over her shoulders. Her shoes are flat slippers of a matching green. She wears a narrow gold necklace with a small pendant and short white gloves. Her hat is a soft yellow turban, decorated with a spray of pink flowers across the front, and covered at the back with a drape of transparent veiling.

The child sits at her feet, leaning back. She wears a less detailed, knee length white gown with short puffed sleeves over white pantalettes. The straight neckline has a band, and the sleeves are gathered into the center with a button or bead. She wears white stockings and flat yellow slippers. The table has gold sphinx legs, clawed lion feet below nude female forms. The carpet below has a classical round with zigzags echoing the trimming on the woman’s dress.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges