Muslin Dress
1806-1815
Style: For the first few years of the nineteenth century, fashion dictated the rather impractical style of skirts with trains for walking or daytime dresses. Women were probably thankful this fashion was short-lived. By 1802, The Lady’s Magazine, a London publication, wrote that short round-gowns were the latest fashion.
Gowns with short or long sleeves were worn, with short sleeves preferred for formal occasions.
Fabric: White maintained its popularity in the early 1800s. Cotton, as seen in this dress, and silk were both considered appropriate for formal occasions.
Cotton dress, fabric woven and embroidered in India, dress sewn and worn in United States, 57.5, gift of Blanche Naomi Thompson Holt.
