Daguerreotype of Young Woman seated

This daguerreotype in a case features a young woman associated with the Gardner family of Exeter, Rhode Island. She is wearing a striped, one-piece dress. Draped bodices were popular in the 1830s and 1840s. During the 1830s, the fabric would go from shoulder to shoulder or shoulder to waist. In this image, the fabric drapes from the shoulder and is gathered in a V at the waist. The use of pleats allowed  the skirt to be very full. The sleeves are fitted to the arm with two rows of detailing (possibly fringe) on the upper sleeve. Her hairstyle was a popular look in the 1840s:  parted in the middle and looped over the ears.

The use of accessories is apparent as we can see four different rings and a sizable brooch at the center front neckline. The long chain may be attached to a pencil, a common accessory at this time according to Joan Severa: “… the gold watch and pencil on the long watch cord or chain was an important symbol to the young woman of the forties” (Severa 13)

References

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