Ackermann’s Repository of Arts, October 1813.
“Evening Dress”
I always enjoy a print that shows a dress from the back, as we get a better idea of construction and detailing we would otherwise miss. A rear view also gives us a better look at hairdos, which are sometimes quite intricate, though this one is relatively simple.
A seated figure also provides us a glimpse of the most fashionable Regency furniture.
The figure is holding sheet music, which makes one wonder if she is following the music being performed at a concert, or is studying music that she will herself perform later. Or perhaps the music simply made a good prop for the print design, though it is intriguing to ponder what situation it was meant to suggest to the magazine’s readers.
The print is described in the magazine as follows:
“A pea-green crape frock, worn over a white gossamer satin slip, with short sleeves of white lace, and waist biassed with lace beading; a deep flounce of lace round the feet, headed with silver netting, the bottom of the sleeves and back finished to correspond. Hair in curls and ringlets, confined on the crown of the head, and intermixed with autumnal flowers. Ear-rings and other ornaments of pearl. Gloved of white kid; and slippers of pea-green satin, trimmed with silver.”
I must say that I adore the silver netting on the flounce, the sleeves, and the back!
