Fashion Plate - Philadelphia Fashions, 1831

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 large sleeves that defined women’s dresses until 1837 when they began to deflate. The exaggerated sleeves are balanced by the width of the headdress and hair ornament. Skirts were short enough to show the feet, which were clad in flat slipper-like shoes that often tied around the ankle.