La Belle Assemblée, April 1811.
“Walking Dress.”
This is a gorgeous mantle that must have been very striking in person. And this is an extraordinary print. A close examination of the actual print, or of a high-resolution scan of the print, shows the mantle’s texture in a way that is pretty amazing for a 2D image. (Difficult to see here, but trust me, it is beautifully rendered.)
Love the turban! And note that she carries a quizzing glass.
The print is described in the magazine as follows:
“Round dress of cambric muslin, with a ruff collar, trimmed round the bottom with narrow purple ribband; cassimere [ie cashmere] crimson mantle, confined close to the back, lined with purple silk, embroidered round the neck, cape, and sides with purple fancy border; a deep cape falling from the shoulders, sloping to a narrow point, with tassels. A crimson velvet, turban front, and trimmed with purple to correspond. York tan gloves. Yellow kid boots.”
