A welldressed woman of the late 19th century wore 37 pounds of clothing in winter, 19 of which hung

1

• A well-dressed woman of the late 19th century
  wore 37 pounds of clothing in winter, 19 of which
  hung from her waist. - Dorothy Hartman

2
19th Century Womens Fashion

• Sewing machine didnt come about until the 1840s
• Seamstress, or tailor was very skilled
• Hoops, bustles, and petticoats used French styles
  (sign of wealth)

3

• Post-Civil War fashion resembled that of the 18th
  century
• Despite doctors warnings, whalebone corsets
  became fashionable late in the century
• 19th century mens styles remained virtually
  unchanged
• Ready-made clothes made wealthier styles more
  available

4
That our dress may be more healthful, it must
first be made looser about the waist, as loose as
a mans. The Household, 1874

• Corset
• 22 pounds of pressure on the internal organs
• Short term results dizziness, increased blood
  flow to the brain, and personality change
• Long term results fractured ribs, collapsed
  lungs, displacement of the liver, and uterine
  prolapse

5
Godeys Ladys Book, Spring 1867
6
Winter fashions, 1870-71
7
Autumn fashions, 1892
8
Hoop skirt, 1893
9
Dress Reform

• Bloomers (Turkish trowsers) - created by
  womens rights advocate Amelia Bloomer in 1851
• Fashion ridiculed by men- charged they were
  wearing pantaloons (aka pants)
• Created a rift in the womens movement at
  Worcester, MA

10

• Womens Emancipation - a satirical view of
  womens rights from Harpers Monthly Magazine,
  1851

11
Does this look better?Harpers, 1855
12

• "When dressed for the evening, the girls, now a
  days,
• Scarce an atom of dress on them leave
• None blame them--for what is a evening dress,
• But a dress that is suited for Eve?
• - Ladies Dresses, Harpers Monthly, 1854