Daguerreotype of a Young Woman, ca. 1845

This woman wears a dark-colored dress with long, closely-fitted sleeves with ruffles above the elbow. These sleeves are a transition from the uncommonly large balloon-like ones of the 1830s, which began deflating in 1837. By 1840, the transition was complete. Ruffles, shirring, horizontal tucks, or capped oversleeves were seen in the late 1830s and early 1840s.  With shrinking sleeves, emphasis shifted to the skirt, which was full and gathered at the waist. The seated woman wears just this, a tight-fitted bodice gathered to a V at the waist. Necklaces with charms were very common, as seen on the figure, as well as the hairstyle parted in the middle.

References

Joan Severa, Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1995.