Carriage Dress, February 1817

Ackermann’s Repository of Arts, February 1817.

“Carriage Dress”

This print shows two of my favorite accessories: a muff and a quizzing glass. The quizzing glass is suspended from what appears to be a rope of several gold chains. The muff is of spotted ermine.

The “Cobourg cap” is described in detail, but is almost entirely obscured by “the profusion of white ostrich feathers.”

The hem of the dress is trimmed with “puffings” or quillings of lace and satin. The row of vandyked lace above that is actually attached to the pelisse, and not an overdress beneath the pelisse, as it may appear to be.

The print is described in the magazine as follows:

“A white poplin round dress, made half-high, with plain long sleeves; the body and bottom of the sleeves are trimmed with puffings of blond, intermixed with white satin and a single flounce of deep blond lace finishes the bottom of the skirt. The pelisse worn with this dress is composed of blue levantine, made about a quarter of a yard shorter than the gown: it is quite tight to the shape, the back something broader than last month, and the waist about the same length. A fancy floss silk trimming, of a very novel and pretty description, edges the pelisse, which is finished at the bottom by a deep flounce of blond lace. The Coburg cap, composed of black velvet, turned up a little on one side in front, and lined and edged with blue satin, is the head-dress worn with it; it is ornamented with a profusion of white ostrich feathers. The head-dress has much novelty, and is very becoming. The ruff is of plain blond, edged with narrow white satin ribbon, and an Indian scarf is thrown over the shoulders. An ermine muff, and gloves and slippers of blue kid, complete the elegant dress.”

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