Fashions of London and Paris, June 1804.
“Promenade Dresses.”
I love this grouping. We cannot see the dress of the lady facing us, so it is not described. The child’s dress is not described either, as it is quite simple — a child’s version of a grown-up lady’s dress and bonnet. Very sweet.
The lady with the parasol shows another example of a long train worn outdoors. Like the preponderance of dresses at this time, it is white. Imagine how dirty these trains became!
The two dresses described, the one with the long train and the one with the black lace cloak, are called round dresses. That refers to a dress with the bodice and skirt joined in a single garment (during the Regency and earlier, these pieces were often separate), with the skirt closed all around, ie not opened to expose an underskirt.
The print is described in the magazine as follows:
“Fig. 1. A round dress of white muslin, with a very long train, and long sleeves; a cloak of fine worked muslin, with a piece of broad lace let in behind; a small bonnet of blue silk, ornamented with a white feather.
“Fig. 2. A short round dress of white muslin, with short plain sleeves; a cloak of black lace trimmed all round; a large straw bonnet, ornamented with a wreath of roses.”
