Promenade and Evening Dresses, April 1805

Fashions of London and Paris, April 1805.

“London. April 1805.”

The black dress is named as for court mourning, which is when the Lord Chamberlain designates a time for public mourning for the death of a member of the royal family.  I cannot find any royal deaths in March or April of 1805, so I am not sure who this mourning dress would have honored. If anyone knows whom it might have been, please let me know.

But I must say, the juxtaposition of the white and the black dress makes for a very striking image.

The print is described in the magazine as follows:

“PROMENADE AND EVENING DRESSES. Fig. 1–Dress of plain white muslin, with long sleeves; a white muslin cloak, with lace let in all round. Straw hat turned up in front, and ornamented with a feather.

“COURT MOURNING. Fig. 2.–Dress of sarsnet or muslin. The hair dressed with a wreath of black crape flowers; black glazed gloves.”

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