This online copy of Ackermann’s Repository for 1815 provided one black & white and one color plate of the fashions for the month. This is your opportunity to color your own fashion plate.
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FASHIONS FOR LADIES.
PLATE 8.—MORNING DRESS.
A Round robe of fine Cambric jaconot muslin, fastened down the front with cotton ball tassels; a flounce of lace or needle-work at the feet, appliqued with a narrow border of embroidery; long full sleeve, confined at the hand with needle-work or French embroidery; a falling collar and cape, trimmed with blond lace; full back, drawn to the shape. A French mob cap, composed of white satin and blond lace, tied under the chin with celestial blue satin ribband, and ornamented with a wreath of flowers. Necklace and cross of satin bead or pearl. Slippers of blue kid. Gloves of Limerick or York tan.PLATE 9.—EVENING DRESS.
Pale pink or primrose-coloured crape petticoat over white satin, ornamented at the feet with a deep border of tull, trimmed with blond lace and pink, or primrose-coloured ribband, festooned and decorated with roses; short full sleeve, composed of tull and crape, with a border of French embroidery; the back drawn nearly to a point, corresponding to the cape front of the dress, and trimmed round with blond lace; the waist very short, and an easy fulness in the petticoat, carried entirelv round. Necklace and drop of pearl; ear-drops and bracelets to correspond. Hair in irregular curls, confined in the Eastern style, and blended with flowers. French scarf, fancifully disposed on the figure. Slippers of pink or primrose-coloured kid; gloves to correspond.
For the fashions for this month we are indebted to the tasteful and elegant designs of Mrs. Bean, of Albemarle-street.
—Rudolph Ackermann, The Repository of arts, literature, commerce, manufactures, fashions and politics, 1815
One of us -- 
7 comments:
It is confusing to have a petticoat be worn over satin. I thought a petticoat was worn under something. Even the 18th century petticpats which were meant ot be seen were usually worn as underskirts.
years ago, I had been told that the color pink -- by that name-- didn't exist in this time. The number of fashion illustrations found describing something as pink give the lie to that-- unless the pink is the color of the flower, which I think is yellow. However, in this illustration, the color options are pink or primrose -- a yellow.
Fashion baffles me-- even that of the 21st century.
"Petticoat n. Skirt dependent from waist worn by women girls & young boys either externally or beneath gown or frock." —The concise Oxford dictionary of current English By Francis George Fowler. There is a very long definition in the unconcise edition of the OED, which tells us, among many other things, that it's "a skirt as distinguished from a bodice, worn either externally or beneath the gown or frock." Regarding "pink,"the OED has usage going back to the 1600s—referring to something the color of the carnation by that name—which is, yes, pink. The wonderful book on historical color, Elephant's Breath & London Smoke, quotes from 1600, "one mantell of pinke-colored stryped cobwebbe lawn striped with silver (gift to Queen Elizabeth.")and cites several other examples, from 18th and early 19th C documents.
Interesting that one of the prints is uncolored. I didn't think any Ackermann's were issued that way. I have the 1815 volumes and all the prints are colored. Since they were hand-colored, though, it's easy enough to imagine that one or two slipped through the cracks.
Candice, it's inconsistent. The 1815 Jan-June that's online at Google books has a black & white & a color plate for each month. A few other of the Ackermann online have some black & white, but no particular pattern. And I found one mag (not Ackermann) that had plates attached dated two years later!
Ladies - you have an amazing blog. Wondering if you could explain what a domino is. From reading novels, I get that it is something worn to a masquerade but what did it look like, etc.? Thanks in advance!
Domino is a cloak worn with a mask. See defs at
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Domino
or check Fowler's Concise Oxford English Dictionary online.
Thank you!
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