Ackermann’s Repository of Arts, April 1809.
“Full Dress”
The collar of the bodice is not mentioned in the description, but it represents a modified ruff, of an open style, that is seen quite often in prints of this period. The gold net cap is reminiscent of a snood of the 1940s.
The print is described in the magazines as follows:
“White satin dress with purple body [ie bodice], long sleeves slashed at the top; bows of purple ribbon down the front. Mantle of purple, lined with white silk, bordered with gold, and edged with swansdown. Gold net cap with white feathers. White shoes, gloves, and fan. Necklace, ear-rings, and other ornaments, of gold.”
In the General Observations, the color red in women’s fashion is castigated as “disadvantageous to beauty,” and pea-green, though popular, is said to be disgusting in the extreme, but that blues, purples, and greys are quite acceptable.
