Browse Items (71 total)

Godey’s Lady's Book, July 1843 This outdoor scene illustrates three women in day dresses and a woman on horseback. The dresses are characterized by narrow waists and moderately full skirts. The sleeves start below the natural shoulder; the woman in…

Fashions for September, Frank Leslie’s Family Magazine, 1858 Frank Leslie, an Englishman who emigrated to New York City in 1848, published numerous illustrated newspapers and magazines over the course of his career. This image is from the family…

Latest Fashions, July 1841, for Graham’s Magazine The woman on the left illustrates the latest in evening dresses. By 1840 all vestiges of the exaggerated sleeves of the 1830s are gone. Attention is shifting to a very narrow waist, accentuated by a V…

Gentleman’s Magazine, 1860 By 1860, the frock coat was firmly established as the foundation of day wear for gentlemen. In this fashion plate, the frock coat is shown with checked trousers, a matching checked double-breasted waistcoat, white shirt,…

Petit Courrier des Dames, probably late 1820s   The fashion depicted here is the frock coat, termed “redingote” in France. The redingote, or riding coat, originated in England in the eighteenth century as outerwear. In this image, it is worn with a…

Modes Parisiennes 1846 The three men illustrate changes to the silhouette taking place in the 1840s. As women’s skirts became wider, men’s silhouettes followed. Trousers became fuller, shoulders sloped, and chests swelled out like a pigeon’s. To…

Modes de Paris April 30, 1842 These men are dressed appropriately for Longchamps, which was part of a park in the forested area of Bois de Boulogne in 1842. When Napoleon III became emperor of France, the Bois de Boulogne was reconfigured and opened…

Petit Courrier des Dames, August 31, 1836 French magazines sometimes included menswear fashions. Depicted here are two gentlemen in the latest Parisian styles. The gentleman on the left illustrates a “Habit de Ville,” or “City Suit,” consisting of a…

Philadelphia Fashions  April 1831, Godey’s Lady’s Book This plate represents the type of illustration Godey’s produced in its first years of publication. Labeled “Philadelphia Fashions,” it features a walking dress and an evening dress, both with the…

L'Art de la Mode, August 1890  This ensemble is labeled "Seaside Costume." Summering at resorts became popular for the growing middle class in the 1890s. Women bathed in bloomer-like outfits complete with overskirts, stockings, and shoes. For…