Lady’s Monthly Museum, January 1807. It is unusual to see prints of hats in this magazine, though prints focusing on hats were seen regularly in most of the other ladies’ magazines of this time. Here, the images are what were called half-lengths, often seen in the Fashions of London and Paris, where an outer garment or other element of the ensemble shown is also mentioned in the description. In the description of the center figure, however, only the hat is described and nothing else, not even the fabulous muff. The engraver, Robert Sands, signed this print. The print is described in the magaz ..read more

Gallery of Fashion, November 1798. “Evening Dress.” This print shows a very unique hairdo, using 5 bandeaus of laurel leaves. I imagine keeping all of them in place must have been something of a challenge, no doubt requiring lots of hairpins. The pops of red are quite dramatic against the white dress and silver robe. The red net and fringe at the hem of the robe is especially striking and unusual. The print is described in the magazine as follows: “The front of the toupee dressed in easy curls round the face; the back part and the hind hair dressed in large curls, and crossed with five differ ..read more

La Belle Assemblée, October 1815. “Autumnal Walking Dress.” Here’s another dress and hat designed by Mrs. Bell. A couple of times in the description something specific in the design is compared to the previous month. Mrs. Bell, this magazine, and most other ladies’ magazines of the period encouraged their readers to believe that fashion changed from month to month, and that the truly fashionable would want to be up-to-date with the absolute latest styles. This also, of course, encouraged constant new business for modistes like Mrs. Bell. The hat is praised at length for its novelty. I suspect ..read more

Journal des Dames et des Modes, Paris, May 9, 1799. “Chapeau Cannelé, Paille et Soie.” One of the things I love about Costume Parisien prints is the artistry — in the design, the engraving, and the hand-coloring, especially in the first 10 years or so of publication. Faces are particularly well done, as here. We don’t know the artist who designed this print, though it has a style similar to designs of Carle Vernet. The engraver, Pierre Baquoy, has signed the print. He was a frequent engraver for this magazine from 1797 through 1827. The dress is quite simple, very much in the neo-classic ..read more

British Lady’s Magazine, August 1818. “Promenade Dress.” Starting in 1818, we begin to see bonnets made of or decorated with cork. I have no prints prior to 1818 showing cork bonnets. Almost every time we see a bonnet made of cork, it is with a dress designed by Miss Macdonald. Other issues of this magazine name her as the “inventress of the Ionian Cork Hats.” I’m not sure what makes it Ionian, or why it was named after that region of Turkey. Note that the closed parasol appears to have two handles. That is actually two parts of a folding handle. Collapsible handles are seen as early as the 1 ..read more

Le Beau Monde, January 1810. “Evening Dress.” In April 1809, the publishers of this magazine, John Browne Bell and J. Decamp, sold the magazine to John Tyler, who only kept it running until April 1810, when it ceased publication for good. During the year that Tyler published it, the fashion prints took on a very different look, clearly using different artists. Most striking in these prints, to me, is the absolutely beautiful rendering of faces, as here. Most prints in this last year of publication are not signed by either the artist or the engraver, but the October 1809 fashion print is signe ..read more

Fashions of London and Paris, December 1804. “London, Head Dresses.” Though these hats are from 1804, some of them (Nos. 2, 5, 7, and 9, which is the back of 7) look like they are from 1904. The hats of these early years of the new century are much more varied in shape and style than the more standardized styles of the the 1810s. Also, we don’t see many plaids and other printed fabrics used much beyond the first decade of the century, as we see here. The print is described in the magazine as follows: “No. 1.–A turban of coquelicot velvet, and white crape. “No. 2.–A curricle hat of feather vel ..read more

La Belle Assemblée, July 1809. “Summer Walking Dress — 1809.” This very strange headdress is not described in enough detail to make sense of it. It is called a bonnet, but does not seem to have a brim. There is some kind of opening in the front in which a sprig of lilac has been placed. And there is a veil over the face that is not mentioned at all. None of this seems to work together. All things considered, it is not a particularly flattering bonnet. Note that the parasol is held by a loop at the top. Although we sometimes see a closed parasol with the point held on the ground, holding it by ..read more

Gallery of Fashion, August 1798. “Afternoon Dress.” This is another example of extremely fancy dresses for afternoon found in this high-end magazine. Satin cap, taffeta dress, silver lace trimming, diamond fastenings — all of that seems more appropriate for an evening dress. But, as always with the Gallery of Fashion, we must remember its exclusive, wealthy audience, whose afternoon events were likely more lavish than those of ordinary folk. I’m not sure why the hat is called Chinese in the description. This shape of the hat is more typically called a Polish hat or cap, patterned after the hi ..read more

Ackermann’s Repository of Arts, September 1813. “Evening Dress.” The slashed sleeves and “demi-bodice” are somewhat unusual, and seem to be connected as a single garment. The bandeau in her hair must have been quite lovely in person, composed of diamonds, white roses, and silk to match the demi-bodice. The “fan of carved ivory” would likely have been a brisé fan, as seen here. The print is described in the magazine as follows: “A round robe of white Venetian crape, worn over a white gossamer satin slip, appliqued with lace in front of the bosom; full slashed sleeve and demi-bodice, or am ..read more