Fashions for March
1844 Illustrated London News
No. 1. A coiffure composed of lace, embroidered with gold. A crape dress, over pink watered silk.
No. 2. A satin hat. A silk dress, open and laced down the front of the corsage and skirt. Two black velvet bonnets.
See commentary below.
Click on image to enlarge it
You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the Hathi Digital Library and the University of Michigan Library and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one. — George P. Landow
Description of the Figures
Balls and fêtes succeed each other in Paris without intermission; the most brilliant has been that given for the benefit of the members of the civil list under the ancien régime. The ball took place in the vast saloons du Casino, which were filled with an immense crowd of fashionables. There was scarcely room to move from eleven o'clock until one; eighteen hundred tickets were issued; the arrangements were, however, so excellent that there was every convenience for dancing, and more particularly for waltzing, for the waltz has again come into great favour with our compatriotes. The greatest luxury was displayed in all the toilettes. Diamonds were in great profusion; the head dresses were more varied than ever. It was, however, observable that hair coiffures were more numerous than any other. There were fewer petit bords (dress hats) and turbans than of fancy coiffures. The most elegant were composed of coloured velvet covered with tulle, embroidered with silver pea spots, and fringed with silver; others were composed of scarfs of different colours, embroidered with gold or silver, and fringed with the same; the crowns of these were composed of gold or silver net. Other coiffures were entirely composed of gold or silver net.
For Ball Dresses the corsages are busked or pointed, and ornamented at the top with lace or a crape berthe. The short sleeves, which have hitherto been so short as scarcely to be seen, are now brought half way down the upper part of the arm. The skirts are mostly open in front, and fastened on the sides with cords and tassels, bows of ribbon or flowers.
The Albanian corsages. Those open down the front, and laced with black velvet, are in great favour.
For morning visits, high corsages are adopted. They are ornamented at the top with brandebourgs (embroidery of silk gimp, or braid.) The skirts are ornamented to correspond.
Velvet Hats are more in vogue than ever; they are either black I or of dark colours, and are usually ornamented with feathers.
References
“Fashions for March.” Illustrated London News (24 February 1844): 124. Hathi Trust version of a copy in the University of Michigan Library. Web. 3 December 2015. The text above was created from the web version with ABBYY FineReader.
Victorian
Web
Social
History
What People
Wore
Gender
Matters
Next
Last modified 3 December 2015