Here are two ladies wearing identical ballgowns and photographed in the same studio. The names on the backs of the pictures are different, so this isn’t just one woman with two different expressions. The gowns are gorgeous. Note the wonderful lace collars and the patterned silk of the skirts. I heard from a photo archivist [...]

Here is a wonderful photograph that demonstrates the transition between the 1840s and early 1850s. The short-waisted bodice and stitched-down sleeves with the puffy “bells” above the cuff are typically 1840s. The main difference is in the width of the skirt, which places the gown in the 1850s. Perhaps this lady just kept the old-fashioned [...]

I just love these spoofs from the 1860s! So many artists found women’s new fashions completely comical and worthy of high satire. The first three cartoons poke fun at hoopskirts, while the one on the lower right demonstrates how unflattering a “spoon” bonnet can be on the wrong size head!

The gowns above used to be on display in Jane Austen’s house, Chawton, England. Note the beautiful shawl and the draping detail on the bodice at the right. Below is a photo from A&E’s “Emma,” and you can see the same draping detail was used for Jane Fairfax’s ballgown.

Left: One of Elizabeth Bennet’s beautiful Spencer jackets from the recent A&E “Pride and Prejudice” miniseries. This one features nice sleeve details with “toothed” sleeve caps. Center: Three Bennet sisters show off their ballgowns. Notice the crossover front on the far right gown and the lovely gathered bodice front on the center gown. Right: Two [...]

Here are several shots from the Miramax “Emma,” starring Gwyneth Paltrow. Clockwise from top left: Day dress of a lovely sage green with a patterned muslin overdress; plainer day dress with gathered bodice and a gorgeous shawl; day dress of striped pink with a more squared neckline; morning dress with “drop-front” bodice; ball gown with [...]

Top left: “Mariann” and “Elinor” ride in the coach to their new home in “Sense and Sensibility.” I love the bonnet Kate Winslet is wearing. Top center: The Dashwood ladies listen attentively to their mysterious guest. Mariann’s daydress is simple and lovely. Top right: Elinor meets Miss Lucy Steele. Note the pelisse Elinor is wearing–a [...]

This satirical cartoon spoofs the length of some ladies’ trains during the early Regency (ca. 1797). So funny!

A hilarious Regency cartoon, poking fun at the increasingly deep bonnet styles of the period.

Fashion plate of mid-Regency bonnets. Note the tall crowns, which became quite the rage through the early 1820s.