Riding Costume – 1882

Two women are depicted at the base of an outside stairway. The woman on the left wears a royal blue riding habit. Her hair is dressed up in curls and she holds her hat and riding crop in her right hand. In her left hand she holds up the long skirt of the habit. She has a black bow tied at her neck, over a white standing collar. Her long sleeved jacket has three white buttons at the bust, and is open beneath. Underneath her jacket she wears a white center buttoned vest, which like her jacket is hip length. The woman on the right also wears her hair dressed up in curls, with one curl loose at the back.

Her dress is gray with a yellow bodice trimmed in ruffled white lace around her collar, the hems of her elbow length sleeves, down the center of her hip length bodice, and on the hem of her draped overskirt. She wears a hip length yellow and pink vest. The vest is yellow with a pink floral pattern, and pink fabric edging the center front. On the pink edging are yellow fastenings angled down into a “V” shape. Her skirt is trimmed with narrow pink ribbon, and wide pink bows. The skirt has pleats at the hem and a short train. Her accessories include white gloves, gold pendant circular earrings, gold bracelets, a gold fan, and a black choker with a gold pendant. Behind the two women a groom holds two horses.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges