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Journal des Dames
et des Modes - Frankfurt Edition
February 1803
Costume Parisien — male and female evening dress
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Sometimes women would cut out the fashion plates and keep them in a scrapbook. The number of Regency-period fashion plates still available indicates that they were not thrown away, but important enough to be kept in one form or another.
The prints were hand-colored, usually by teams of young girls and women, with the best artists used for painting faces. (The Ackermann's are particularly notable for their beautifully painted faces.) Hand-coloring by illiterate workers had some interesting results. A dress described as green might show up in one copy as pink. Examples of this type of color variation will be posted in a future Collections article.
This month's Collection concentrates on Evening Dress. Examples are provided from 1801 to 1818, with the magazine commentary when available. (Note that the examples from Le Beau Monde 1807 and from the Lady's Monthly Museum 1811 and 1818 show both day and evening dresses in a single print.) Though it is difficult to make blanket statements about fashion trends in terms of hemlines (they go slightly up and down) and waistlines (they remain generally very high for evening wear throughout the period), other changes of style are more clearly defined. The earlier dresses have simpler decoration than the rather fussy embellishments of the later years; and the straight classical line of the skirt slowly moves toward the bell-shape that becomes prominent in the 1820s. It is also interesting to note the hairstyles, accessories, and even furniture shown in the prints.
Lots more prints below. Click on any print to open another window with a larger image.
Le Beau Monde
May 1807
Morning and Evening Dresses |
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La Belle Asemblée
April 1808
London Evening Dresses
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Lady's Monthly Museum
January 1811
Magazine text:
Evening Full Dress (on right): "A full dress of white crape over black sarsnet, trimmed with bugles in the form of vandykes; hair fashionably dressed with a tiara of bugles; grey kid gloves and shoes; black fan; black necklace and earrings."
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Ackermann's Repository
September 1812
Evening Dress
Magazine text:
"A white crape robe, with demi-train, and long full sleeves, gathered at regular distances, and ornamented with simple bows of ribbon; bosom and back formed very low, the former ornamented with gold or Chinese silk trimming, and united with gold buckles on the right side. The robe is worn over a white satin slip, and trimmed at the bottom with lace or silver ribbon. Hair confined in the Eastern style, and ornamented with a wreath of variegated flowers. Necklace and cross of blended pearl and amber and earrings en suite. Roman slippers of white satin with gold clasps; fan of white and gold crape, or carved ivory. An occasional Grecian scarf of white lace." |
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Ackermann's Repository
May 1813
Full Dress
Magazine text:
"A celestial blue satin slip with short full sleeve, trimmed round the bottom with a full border of lace, gathered on a knotted beading. A Polonese long robe of white crape, or gossamer net, trimmed entirely round with lace and knotted beading, united in front of the bosom with rows of satin bead. Hair in irregular curls, confined in the Eastern style, and blended with flowers. Necklace and drop of the satin bead or pearl; eardrops and bracelets to correspond; double neck-chain and heart of Oriental gold, inclosing an amulet. Grecian scarf of pale buff colour, embroidered with shaded morone silks, in Grecian characters, and fancifully disposed on the figure. Slippers of blue satin or kid, trimmed with silver. White gloves of French kid, falling below the elbow. Fan of carved ivory, with Italian border of coloured feathers."
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Ackermann's Repository
November 1813
Evening Dress
Magazine text:
"A round robe of blossom-coloured crape, with demi-train, worn over a white satin slip, gather frock back and stomacher front; the sleeve unusually short, and back and bosom uncommonly (not to say unbecomingly) exposed. The sleeves and neck of the robe ornamented with puckered white satin, and a fancy border round the bottom composed of white satin and crape, the same as the dress; belt of the same round the bottom of the waist, confined with a pearl, or other appropriate clasp, in front. The hair in irregular curls, divided in front, and confined on the crown of the head with white beads and blended with small autumnal flowers of various hues. Necklace, a single row of pearl or the satin bead; a small elastic chain of Oriental gold, from which is suspended a large convent cross of diamonds. Earrings and bracelets of pearl, with diamond studs. French kid gloves, below the elbow. Slipper of white satin, decorated round the instep with silver fringe. Indian fan of carved ivory." |
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Journal des Dames et des Modes
December 1814
Costume Parisien: evening dress
"Turban de Mousseline, par-dessus de Caehemire"
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Ackermann's Repository
January 1815
Evening Dress
Magazine text:
"A celestial blue crape frock, over a white satin slip, ornamented round the bottom with a deep border of tulle or net lace, embroidered with shaded blue silks and chenille; short full sleeve, trimmed with tulle or net lace; the dress trimmed entirely round the top to correspond. Hair parted in the center of the forehead, confined in the Grecian style, and blended with flowers. Necklace of pearl; eardrops and bracelets to correspond. Slippers of blue satin or kid. White gloves of French kid." |
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Ackermann's Repository
February 1815
Full Dress (designed by Mrs. Bean, Albemarle Street)
Magazine text:
"Pale pink or primrose-coloured crape petticoat over white satin, ornamented at the feet with a deep border of tulle, trimmed with blond lace and pink or primrose-coloured ribband, festooned and decorated with roses; short full sleeves, composed of tulle and crape, with a border of French embroidery; the back drawn nearly to a point, corresponding to the cape front of the dress, and trimmed round with blond lace; The waist very short, and an easy fullness in the petticoat, carried entirely round. Necklace and drop of pearl; eardrops and bracelets to correspond. Hair in irregular curls, confined in the Eastern style, and blended with flowers. French scarf, fancifully disposed on the figure. Slippers of pink or primrose-coloured kid; gloves to correspond."
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Ackermann's Repository
August 1815
Evening Dress
Magazine text:
"A white satin petticoat, richly ornamented at the feet with a broad border of tulle and satin; a frock-body, tied behind, and composed of tulle and satin, with a quilling of tulle terminating at each point of the shoulder strap; a short sleeve, richly ornamented with frilled tulle, corresponding to the bottom of the dress; short sash of white satin tied in full bows behind. Cap composed of white satin and gathered tulle, decorated in the front with a full wreath formed of tulle edged with satin. Stockings plain silk. Slippers white kid or ribbed sarsnet. Gloves French kid drawn over the elbow. " |
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Ackermann's Repository
December 1816
Evening Dress |
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Lady's Monthly Museum
March 1818
Morning and Evening Fashionable Dresses (designed by Miss McDonald, Bond Street)
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For more information on fashion prints, see these sources:
Alison Adburgham, Women in Print: Writing Women and Women's Magazine from the Restoration to the Accession of Victoria, George Allen and Unwin Ltd., 1972.
Irene Dancyger, A World of Women: An Illustrated Hisotry of Women's Magazines 1700-1970, Gill and Macmillan, 1978.
Madeleine Ginsburg, An Introduction to Fashion Illustration, Victoria & Albert Museum, 1980.
Vyvyan Holland, Hand Coloured Fashion Plates 1770-1899, Batsford, 1955.
Doris Langley Moore, Fashion Through Fashion Plates 1771-1970, Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1971.
Sacheverell Sitwell and Doris Langley Moore, Gallery of Fashion 1790-1822, Batsford, 1949.
Cynthia L. White, Women's Magazines 1693-1968, Michael Joseph, 1970.
Alison Adburgham, Women in Print: Writing Women and Women's Magazine from the Restoration to the Accession of Victoria, George Allen and Unwin Ltd., 1972.
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