Mrs. Merrifield c. 1854
    “As a general rule, we should say that in youth the dress should be simple and elegant, the ornaments flowers. In middle age, the dress should be of rich materials, and more splendid in its character; jewels are the appropriate ornaments. In the decline of life, the materials of which the dress is composed may be equally rich, but of the less vivacious colors; the tertiaries* and broken colors are particularly suitable, and the character of the whole costume should be quiet, simple and dignified. The French, whose taste in dress is so far in advance of our own, say that ladies who are fifty years old should neither wear gay colors nor dresses of slight materials, flowers, feathers, or much jewelry; that they should cover their hair, wear high dresses, and long sleeves...

* Tertiary color, a color produced by the mixture of two secondaries. "The so-called tertiary colors are citrine, russet, and olive." --Fairholt.

Barr, Amelia All the Days of My Life, pg. 207 Remembering life in Austin, TX in 1856.
    “How did women amuse themselves?...It was a pleasant and constant custom to send word to some chosen lady, that they, with Mrs. A. and Mrs. B. were coming to spend the following day with her. If the day was hot, they arrived soon after nine o’clock, got quickly in to loose garments and slippers, took out their tucking, and palm leaf fans, and subsided into rocking-chairs....About four o’clock they began to dress, and the carryall arrived; because after half-past four the invasion of the male might be expected, and it was a point of honor to throw a little mystery around these meetings...”

Stuart Letters of Robert & Elizabeth Sullivan Stuart and their children, 1818-1864 A letter from Lavinia Stuart to her sister-in-law Kate Williams on Dec.17th 1852 vol. 1, p. 446 Privately printed, 1961.
    “...and then to see her when she prepared to go home in the evening. She puts on a pair of shoes that sound like horses’ hoofs on the floor, pulls her dress up around her waist, puts on a shawl and a big hood over her turban, and she is a regular Mother Bunch. Then she waddles off in a most independent manner, as if she were *lord of all*. I forgot to mention that when it rains she brings a white cotton umbrella.”  
(TLC editor - keep in mind that they are making fun of her)

Ladies’ Book of Etiquette, Fashion and Manual of Politeness. 1860 pg. 30
    “Storm Dresses – A lady who is obliged to go out frequently in bad weather, will find it both a convenience and economy to have a storm dress. Both dress and cloak should be of a woolen material, (varying of course with the season,*) which will shed water. White skirts are entirely out of place, as, if the dress is held up, they will be in a few moments disgracefully dirty. A woolen skirt, made quite short, to clear the muddy streets, is the proper thing. Stout, thick-soled boots, and gloves of either silk, beaver-cloth, or lisle thread, are the most suitable. The bonnet should be either of straw or felt**, simply trimmed; and above all, carry a large umbrella. The little light umbrellas are very pretty, no doubt, but to be of any real protection in a storm, the umbrella should be large enough to protect the whole dress.”

(*Not all wool is hot and heavy, light weight wools were quite common and can be found today)
(** Sutler felt bonnets do NOT resemble period felt bonnets in shape or materials!!!)

As we are all ‘travelers’ at most events Ibid., pg. 31:
    “Strong boots and thick gloves are indispensable in traveling, and a heavy shawl should be carried, to meet any sudden change in weather. Corsets and petticoats of dark linen are more suitable than white ones, as there is so much unavoidable dust and mud constantly meeting a traveler.”

Godey’s Lady’s Book April 1864 pg. 408.
     “Water-proof cloaks seem now to be a necessary article in a lady’s wardrobe. They are generally made with the Quaker style of hood, which can be pulled over the bonnet....”

Return to Table of Contents