Three Women and Two Children – 1830-1840s

Three women and two children take a walk through the garden while they display their fashions for the 1830s. The limited use of blue and green watercolors in the work suggest that the print is unfinished. The woman on the far left wears a long, triple-tiered dress and a brown silk shawl trimmed with lace.

The bodice has a wide curved neckline, and wide open cuffed sleeves, over narrower ruched white sleeves. The shawl has buttons trimming the front lappets. Over her black hair, center parted and dressed in ringlets, she wears a poke bonnet with ruffled edges, trimmed with blue flowers on the crown and roses inside the brim.

In her right hand she carries a tiny blue parasol. Her left hand toys with a quizzing glass on a chain. Next to her is a woman wearing a dress with a tight-fitting bodice and short bell sleeves over longer fitted sleeves. The bodice and the first tier of her dress is made of vertically striped cloth; the same cloth in a bias forms the second and third tiers of the skirt. All three tiers of the dress as well as the edges of bell sleeves are pinked or trimmed in a zigzag pattern.

The collar of the dress is trimmed with zigzag edged white lace. She wears a bonnet ornamented with white feathers and ribbon poufs with patterned ribbon ties. The woman in the center wears a light-colored dress with a blue mantelet trimmed with black lace. The collar has a small bow at the center front, and bands of lace decorate the body of the mantelet. Her bonnet has a band of pleating inside the brim, and flowers and ribbon trimming. Next is a boy holding a large book under his arm.

He wears full buttoned trousers gathered into a front buttoned placket. His blue buttoned shirt has front buttons, dropped shoulders and narrow sleeves. A white falling collar and cuffs shirt indicate a shirt is worn beneath the blue. He wears a medium brimmed hat over his long dark curls, and holds the hand of a younger child who returns his gaze.

The child is wearing a tunic length dress of with buttons at the center front. This tunic either has a very deep shawl collar, or it may be a matching short cloak. A soft white ruff collar and narrow white cuffs are all that can be seen of the shirt.

The child wears white pantalettes with plain hems, and carries a billed cap with a visor and a button on top, similiar to a sporting cap. The cap and the plain pantellettes make this probably a younger boy, not yet breeched, despite the child’s shoulder length curls.

Trees and a column are visible behind the group.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges