Afternoon Dress, October 1799

The Lady’s Monthly Museum, October 1799.

Afternoon Dresses October 1799“Afternoon Dress for Oct. 1799”

This magazine began publication in 1798, and had a conservative “keep women in their place” editorial slant. Though each issue included 1-2 fashion prints, there was little space given to discussion of fashion — only short descriptions of the prints and no more (though the descriptions did become more detailed toward the end of the Regency). One can assume that fashion was considered too frivolous a topic for this serious little magazine.

The prints in the early years were somewhat crude, though they did include metallic silver and gold paint on certain prints. In this print, the seated lady has silver spots on her cap (which is almost impossible to see here online, but in person, the spots are quite shiny).

You can see that skirts were still somewhat full at the end of the century, that fullness mostly created through gathers at the back of the dress.

The print is described  in the magazine as follows:

First Figure. Round white cap of spotted silver muslin, formed in small plaits, terminating at one point on the crown; white ostrich feather; pearl necklace; plaited lace tucker.–Muslin dress trimmed with lace; full robins. White gloves and shoes.

Second figure. Ostrich feather tipped with orange; the end fastened down under a braid of hair which passes round the head. Gold pin; gold ear-rings; and gold band round the neck. Pink muslin dress, trimmed with large gold twist or gimp. White Cyprus petticoat. Light blue shoes.”

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