Court Dress, May 1798

Fashions of London and Paris, May 1798.

Court Dress May 1798“Court Dress”

This print is not of very high quality, even for this magazine, but it is nevertheless very useful. We can see that the waistline is not as high as it will soon become, so that this dress looks more like a dress from 40 years earlier, and not quite as odd as the high-waisted Regency court dresses. Most prints show the court dress straight on, so that it looks like a wide circular hooped gown. This print shows the figure at an angle that allows us to see that the dress is indeed like one from decades earlier, with a flat front and wide panniers on each side.

The bits that appear dark gray online are actually painted in shiny metallic silver paint.

The print is described in the magazine as follows:

“Court Dress — The Petticoat of white Crape, embroidered with Silver; the Drapery of buff coloured Crape, edged with a wreath of variegated Leaves drawn up by silver Cord or Chains, with Tassels. The Body and Train of buff Sarsnet. The Ruffles and Lappets of Lace of Blond. The Hair full-dressed in light Waves. Diamond or Pearl Bandeau, intermixed  with white or green Crape. Ostrich Feathers, white or green. Pearl or Diamond Necklace and Ear-rings.”

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