When is it from?

[frualeydis]

When would you date this? It has the aesthetics of the 1860s, but the skirt seems very narrow. On the other hand it may not be photographed with the correct underwear. Anyway, it's from our city museum and I plan to ask them if I can come and look at their costume collection. It's never on display but it would be really fun to look at them, and hopefully be able to take photos for my own research.

The photo is taken at a meeting for a museum society in 1928. It appears to be too small for her, both the sleeves and the skirt seem a bit too short.

Comments

[koshka-the-cat.livejournal.com]

I'd say maybe 1868 or so? There was a very brief time when skirts got somewhat narrow. I was actually just reading Costume in Detail again last night, and there's a dress in there, page 221 from 1868 with a very similarly shaped skirt. And bodice, for that matter.

The description says: A simple day dress, not easy to date; perhaps made in the early summer of 1868, soon after the collapse of the crinoline in the winter of '67...The dress hardly appears to have been worn, which is possible, for during that year over-skirts, extra trimming, and draperies were looped up over the bustel, and women were once more 'caged' and padded, this time at the back.

Very pretty dress! I love the trimming. So simple, yet effective :)

[koshka-the-cat.livejournal.com]

Also, I have a Godey's from 1868 that has skirt shapes that are similar to the dress. They obviously have supports, but it looks like you could put a similar one under the dress. A small elliptical crinoline, I'd guess:

http://www.koshka-the-cat.com/godeys_september1868.html

[pinque.livejournal.com]

That would be my feeling too. Everything bar the narrowness of the skirt screams 1860s but I too recall a brief very narrow period. I thought it was just an odd few fashion plates, which is why I never saved them and now have no idea where to find them!

It'll be interesting to know what the back looks like as we cannot see it in any photograph. And a look at the waist would probably help identify if it has been altered as well.

[jenthompson.livejournal.com]

That's what I was thinking too - 1868. I've been looking at a lot of those pictures because that's when my current project is from, and it looks pretty spot on.