Two Women and a Girl – 1872

Two women and a girl in New York fashions, Autumn 1872

Standing in a well-appointed room, two women and a girl display their New York fashions for September, 1872. The woman on the left stands with her back toward the viewer so that we see the details of her outfit. Her ankle length underskirt has a pattern of light and dark green vertical stripes. Her cuirasse bodice with draped overskirt are a matching light green trimmed with darker green. The bodice fits snugly with princess seaming and narrow sleeves; the collar, cuffs, and hem of the are trimmed with scallop edging in dark green.

The overskirt has a panel at the front in an apron style, over a round skirt about knee length. The back has a falling hem and much tucking and trimming. As she reads a letter, the viewer also sees her elaborate upswept braided hairstyle with a single curl falling at the back. She wears elaborate gold drop earrings. The woman in the center models her outfit in black and pale cream or pink, trimmed with blue, as she gestures toward the girl on the right.

Her floor length underskirt is black satin with two wide tiered ruffles around the hem at the back, and in the front is a flat panel, trimmed with five horizontal rows of deep zigzags trimmed in blue, with two blue bows.The curasse bodice and overskirt is pale pink or cream and shaped with princess seaming. The bodice is fastened at the center front with a row of small blue buttons. White lace ruffles edge the neck and cuffs. A row of blue deep zigzags trims the cuffs and edges the hem of the overskirt, which is split at the sides and draped to show off the trimmings.

She wears a wide blue ribbon tied at the neck. Her hair is curled, swept up off her face, and worn low at the back of her neck. She wears large gold drop earrings. The young girl at the right wears a knee length yellow skirt with a wide ruffled tier at the hem. Over that she wears a red satin yoked overdress with gathers and a belt lined in white. She faces away from the viewer to show the embroidery edging the neck, the shoulders, the cuffs, the belt, the hem and the yoke edge. A row of small buttons create a center back fastening.

The girl’s hair is also elegantly curled and pulled up from her face to show her pendant gold oval earrings. She wears white stockings and short, black boots. The ladies stand against a backdrop of light blue draperies, a gold framed mirror (or portrait) and a yellow, quilted velvet sofa. The wool loomed carpet has a scrolled acanthus leaf pattern.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges