Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort at home, 1841. Her gown shows the fashionable silhoutte, with its pointed waist, sloping shoulder, and bell-shaped skirt.
'1840s fashion' in European and European-influenced
clothing is characterized by a narrow, natural shoulder line following the exaggerated puffed sleeves of the
later 1820s and
1830s. The narrower shoulder was accompanied by a lower waistline for both men and women.
Women's fashion
Gowns
Princess di Sant' Antimo's evening gown of
watered silk shows the short sleeves, lace flounce collar, and long pointed waist of the early 1840s. The tiny pleats that gather her skirt can be seen at the waistline. 1840-44.
The broad silhouette of the 1830s was replaced with a triangular line with vertical emphasis. Shoulders became narrow and sloping, waists became low and pointed, and sleeve detail migrated from the elbow to the wrists. Where pleated fabric panels had wrapped the bust and shoulders in the previous decade, they now formed a triangle from the shoulder to the waist of day dresses.
Skirts evolved from a conical shape to a bell shape, aided by a new method of attaching the skirts to the
bodice using organ or cartridge pleats which cause the skirt to spring out from the waist. Full skirts were achieved mainly through layers of petticoats. The increasing weight and inconvenience of the layers of starched petticoats would lead to the development of the
crinoline of the second half of the 1850s.
Sleeves were narrower and fullness dropped from just below the shoulder at the beginning of the decade to the lower arm, leading toward the flared pagoda sleeves of the
1850s and
1860s.
Evening gowns were worn off the shoulder and featured wide flounces that reached to the elbow, often of lace. They were worn with sheer
shawls an opera-length
gloves.
Hairstyles and headgear
Hairstyle of 1840
1848 fashion plate shows bonnets and winter-wear.
The wide hairstyles of the previous decade gave way to fashions which kept the hair closer to the head, and the high bun or knot on the crown descended to the back of the head. Hair was still generally parted in the center. Isolated long curls dangling down towards the front (sometimes called "spaniel curls") were worn, often without much relationship to the way that the rest of the hair was styled. Alternately the side hair could be smoothed back over the ears or looped and braided, with the ends tucked into the bun at the back.
Linen
caps with frills, lace, and ribbons were worn by married women indoors, especially for daywear.
Bonnets for street wear were smaller than in the previous decade, and were less heavily decorated. Married women wore their caps under their bonnets.
Underwear
Women's
undergarments were essentially unchanged from the previous period; a knee-length
chemise was worn beneath a boned
corset and masses of starched
petticoats.
Outerwear
With the narrow, sloping shoulder line of the 1840s, the shawl returned to fashion, where it would remain through the 1860s. It was now generally square and worn folded on the diagonal.
Riding habits consisted of a high-necked, tight-waisted jacket with long snug sleeves, worn over a tall-collared shirt or
chemisette, with a long matching petticoat or skirt. Contrasting waistcoats or vests cut like those worn by men were briefly popular. Tall hats or broad-brimmed hats like those worn by men were worn.
With the new narrower sleeves,
coats and jackets returned to fashion. These were generally knee-length with a cape-like collar. Ankle-length cloaks with cape-collars to cover slits for the arms were worn in cold or wet weather.
Style gallery - 1840-44
#, c. 1840. The fullness at the shoulder has moved down the arm, and although the gown is still belted in the 1830s manner, the fabric is gathered in to accentuate the V-shaped front rather than the breadth of the shoulders. This is an early image of hair worn in cascades of curls or ringlets.
# shows lower sleeve fullness, triangular or V-shaped emphasis in the bodice, and a sloping shoulder line. The indoor cap is trimmed with ribbon loops and frills.
# summer fashions for 1841 feature pleated panels at the breast and sloping shoulder over long sleeves. The waist is narrow and slightly pointed, and skirts are bell-shaped.
# wears a red velvet evening gown with a pointed waist. He hair is worn in a mass of sausage curls, 1841.
# from ''La Mode'' which seems to play up the contrast between a menswear-influenced riding habit and more ordinary high fashion.
# wears the V-neckline, sloped shoulder, and cascades of side curls fashionable in 1842.
# from ''Le Moniteur de la Mode''. Day dress (left) with cape-collared jacket and evening dress (right).
# of August 1844 show detail on lower sleeves. The dress on the left is an evening style.
Style gallery - 1845-49
# wears her hair parted in the center and smoothed over her ears.
#, with a central part, long sausage curls, and a bun on the back of the crown, is a fashionably romantic echo of
mid-seventeenth century styles. This style would remain popular into the next decade. German, c. 1845.
# of Holland wears a lace collar and ruffled chemise or chemisette with her dark dress.
# of a riding habit c.1847 features a cutaway jacket over a contrasting waistcoat and shirt with a stiff turned-down collar. The lady wears dashing plumed hat.
#: This woman is unlacing her corset, having stepped out of her petticoats. Her chemise is knee-length, with sleeves ending just above the elbow.
# wears a pink satin evening gown with rows of ruching at the hem and lace frills at the collar and sleeves, all trimmed with ribbon bows. Her hair is smoothed over her ears and decorated with ostrich plumes, 1848.
# of 1849. The lady on the left wears a low-waisted gown and an outdoor bonnet. The lady on the right wears a short jacket over her gown and a lacey indoor cap.
Men's fashion
Landscape painter
Oswald Achenbach wears a broad-brimmed hat for a painting tour of Italy. He wears a striped ascot and his waiscoat has the rounded chest and lowered waistline of the late 1840s. He waistcoat is finished with two points at the lowered waist and contrasts with both his striped trousers and brown coat. Similar styles were worn in the
American West at this time.
Overview
In this period, men's fashion plates show the lowered waistline taking on a decided point at the front waist, which was accompanied by a full rounded chest.
Shirts and cravats
Shirts of linen or cotton featured lower standing
collars, occasionally turned down, and were worn with wide cravats tied in a soft bow; dark or patterned cravats were popular for day wear.
Coats and waistcoats
Frock coats (in French
redingotes) were worn for informal day wear, and might be double-breasted. Shoulders were narrower and slightly sloped.
Waistcoats or vests were single- or double-breasted, with shawl or notched collars, and might be finished in double points at the lowered waist.
A cutaway
morning coat was worn with light trousers for any formal daytime occasion;
evening dress called for a dark tail coat and trousers.
Trousers
Full-length
trousers had fly fronts.
Breeches remained a requirement for formal functions at the British court (as they would be throughout the century). Breeches continued to be worn for horseback riding and other country pursuits, especially in Britain, with tall fitted boots.
Hats and hairstyles
The crowns of
tall hats were straighter than in the previous period, and grew taller on the way to the stovepipe shape of the
1850s. They were essential for formal occasions and in cities.
Wide-brimmed
hats were worn outdoors in sunny climates. Curled hair and sideburns remained fashionable, along with moustaches.
Style gallery
# of 1841 shows at-home wear (a patterned dressing gown) and visiting wear. The top hat is becoming taller.
# wears tan fly-front trousers with a dark coat and waistcoat. Italy, 1841.
#
Charles Edward Trevelyan wears a boldly checked waistcoat and a patterned cravat with fly-front trousers and a dark frock coat, 1840s.
# shows the lowered waistline and full, rounded chest popular in the latter 1840s (compare to the waistline of the 1841 styles).
# wears his cravat loosely tied and secured with a stickpin, 1847.
Children's fashion
In this period, small boys wore sashed tunics over trousers, sometimes with a round-collared shirt underneath. Older boys wore short jackets and trousers with round-collared shirts.
Girls wore simplified versions of women's fashion, with short skirts over
pantalettes.
See also
★
Victorian fashion
References
Ashelford, Jane: ''The Art of Dress: Clothing and Society 1500-1914'', Abrams, 1996. ISBN 0-8109-6317-5
Goldthorpe, Caroline: ''From Queen to Empress: Victorian Dress 1837-1877'', Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1988, ISBN 0-87099-535-9
Tozer, Jane and Sarah Levitt, ''Fabric of Society: A Century of People and their Clothes 1770-1870, Laura Ashley Press, ISBN 0-9508913-0-4
External links
★
The Romantic Era: Fashions 1825-1845
★
1840s Men's Fashions - circa 1840 Men's Fashion Photos (Daguerreotypes) with Annotations
★
Men's fashion plates of the 1840s at Victoriana.com
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