Girl's Historical Clothing: Chronological Listings--the 1840s


Figure 1.--English portratist painted this girl and her brother in 1844. She wears a blue dress and fur trimmed wrap. Click on the image to see the full portrait.

Bonnets were important in the 1840s. Some had deep brims which could be used to almost hide the face. Women wore floor-length dresses with bell-shaped skirts. There were various styles of collars, but most tended to be white. The sleeves on dresses varied, but were often narrow. The dress bodices tended to be long and tight with buttons to close in the back. Under their dresses were mumerous layers of petticoats. Women also wore constrictive corsets to create a more narrow waistline. A popular garment worn over the dress was an elbow-length cape referred to as a pelerine. A popular adornment was a ribbon around the neck as well as at the waistline. Prosperous women might add a gold watch on a gold chain or black cord. Girls wore shorter-length dresses, but with ankle-length pantlettes covering their legs. Neck ribbons were less common for girls, but waist ribbons on their dresses were very common. Some dresses has open necklines without collars. Girls lokes their mothers wore might wear layers of ptticoats. Center hair parts were very common for women and girls often with the hair drawn back covering the ears. Girls often instead of having the hair drawn back might have ringlets curls of varying length.

1840s

Probably 1830s: Blue dress and pantalettes: English girl and brother

Probably 1840s: Dresses and pantalettes: American girl and brother

1840s: Dresses, pinafores, and pantalettes: American school children

1843

1843: Dress and panatelettes: American girl

1843: Full skirted dresses and long pants: American sisters and brother

1844

1844: Blue dress and fur wrap: Affluent English brother and sister

1844: Dresses, kilts, and tunics: Scottish childrem emigrating to New Zealand

1845

1845: Dresses, pinafores, and pantalettes: American family

1848

1848: Dresses and pantalettes: English brother and sister

1849

1849: Dresses and tunics: English schoolwear

1849: Dress, skirt, and tunic: Russian nobility

Late 1840s

Late 1840s: Dress and ringlets: Unidentified American child










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Created: 1:32 AM 10/31/2004
Last updated: 5:17 AM 6/9/2016