Womenswear during the 1830s was exuberant and dramatic, tied closely to Romanticism, which influenced all aspects of society during the first half of the nineteenth century (Fig. 1). Romanticism emphasized emotion, the beauty of nature, and individualism. For women, there was a general sentimentality about the domestic sphere and the importance of a moral center at home (Bassett 16-17). Perhaps the element of Romanticism that was most clearly at play in fashion was the tendency to look backward to history for inspiration (Cunnington 107; Tortora 328). Historicism pervaded 1830s style, especially interpretations of the seventeenth century in the wide collars, puffed sleeves, and curled hairstyles (Bassett 26-29). Lynne Zacek Bassett noted in Gothic to Goth: Romantic Era Fashion and Its Legacy:

“The Romantic spirit was sometimes contradictory, simultaneously embracing idylls and terror, flamboyance and modesty, freedom and crushing restraint.” (16)

That description feels apt for the 1830s, a decade that began with fashions overwhelmingly bold, but ended with a style that had collapsed into a drooping sentimentality. The silhouette of womenswear abruptly shifted in 1836, and the fashionable woman was no longer one of ebullient energy, but a mild, modest woman who eschewed brash forms (Fig. 2) (Cunnington 105). This shift towards modesty was personified by the ascension of Queen Victoria to the throne in 1837. Despite her young age, Victoria preferred an understated, simpler style, and was cautious regarding new fashions. Her quiet modesty, piety, and maternal devotion to her family represented the ideal Romantic woman in many ways (Bassett 30; Byrde 46).

As previously mentioned, the silhouette of the 1830s shifted in 1836, meaning that women’s fashion must be divided into two silhouettes. The first began in the mid-1820s, and was fully realized by 1830 (Fig. 3). Fashion historian C.W. Cunnington summarized it well:

“The flood of romance which had risen to such a height by the end of the ‘20s reached a culmination, so far as fashions went, in the year 1830, when extraordinary attention was lavished on the upper half of the dress and the sleeves. Innumerable… types of bodice appeared… In addition, there were at least a dozen different patterns of sleeve for day use; and when it is recalled that the hats were more startling in color and size than the dresses it can easily be understood that the total effect was overwhelming, especially as the woman of fashion wore them all with an air of perfect assurance; the mode was not intended to be anything but ravishing and arresting; a spirit of conquest dominated the designs.” (105)

The silhouette consisted of a nipped waist that fell just above the natural waistline, giving a short-waisted effect, and wide sleeves and skirts that ended just above the ankle (Fig. 4) (Byrde 41). Overall, fashion emphasized and highlighted an expansive width (Ashelford 191). The sleeve was, by far, the most significant element of fashion. Gigot or leg-o-mutton sleeves reached an apex in size between 1830 and 1833, and many varieties appeared (Byrde 39; Johnston 76). Designs ranged from the standard gigot which was full to the wrist, to the demi-gigot which was fitted from the elbow, to the fanciful “à la giraffe” design in which fullness was banded down at intervals creating a series of puffs (Tortora 333; Foster 56; Byrde 39-40).

Like other elements of fashion, hair and headgear also showed a stunning variety of bold forms (Fig. 10). Hair was arranged in high chignons of loops, braids, or curls, while the hair at the front was left in rows of sausage curls or hanging in ringlets. The Apollo knot and hairstyle à la Chinoise were two such arrangements (Foster 13, 54; Tortora 334). Married women wore white, frilled day caps indoors (Fig. 2) (Ginsburg 77; Tortora 334). Both hats and bonnets, worn outdoors, had expanded greatly in width to balance the sleeves, reaching an apex in 1830, after which they gradually began to shrink in size (Cunnington 122; Byrde 45). Hats and bonnets featured a high crown and a huge, halo-like brim, and were loaded with trim. When the silhouette shifted in 1836, so did hair and hats. Hairstyles simplified; by the end of the decade, hair was usually parted in the center, and brushed smoothly over the ears into a chignon at the back. The brim of hats and bonnets moved downward into a narrow oval shape, no longer framing and highlighting the face, but concealing it (Fig. 11) (Cunnington 122). Throughout the decade, hairstyles were more elaborate in the evening, and could feature decorative combs, feathers, ribbons, and flowers woven into the arrangement (Tortora 334). Married women often wore hats in the evening; heavily trimmed turbans were the most common choice (Byrde 45).

Menswear reflected many of the same influences in womenswear. Indeed, the general silhouette of men’s clothing resembled that of women’s. Coats nipped in at the waist, their skirts flared, and most notably, sleeves featured a marked fullness that puffed at the shoulder, echoing the gigot sleeves of female fashions (Fig. 1). Towards the end of the decade, the waistline lengthened and sleeves began to fit smoothly at the shoulder (Byrde 95). The desired shapely curves and expansive chest were sometimes achieved by added padding in coats (Laver 164; Waugh 113). Dandies such as the Count d’Orsay (see “Fashion Icon” section above) and Benjamin Disraeli (Fig. 2) led men’s fashion, as the Romantic movement spurred a desire for individual display and dramatic effects (Ashelford 189).

There were two general types of coats: the tailcoat and the frock coat (Fig. 3). The tailcoat, also known as a “dress coat,” featured fronts that were cut in straight across the waist with hanging tails at the back; this coat remained the choice for formal day and evening occasions throughout the decade (Byrde 95). A slightly different tailcoat shape consisted of a front that gradually sloped back into the tails; this was usually a riding coat worn in the morning (Tortora 341; Waugh 113). The frock coat, defined by its horizontal waistline seam and full skirts to the knee, was worn for informal daytime occasions (Byrde 95-96). Coats were usually made in plain wools in darker colors such as black, browns, blues, and greens.

Neckwear was also varied and elaborate during the 1830s, but can be divided into two general types: the stock or the cravat (Fig. 5) (Tortora 341). A stock was a stiffened band, fastened at the back, covered with an arrangement of silk satin or velvet. A cravat was a large square, usually of muslin or silk, that could be arranged in a number of ways (Waugh 118-119). The “scarf cravat” or “waterfall” style in which the silk neckcloth spread across the entire area above the waistcoat was a flashy, dandified style; this arrangement was often held in place with a long, decorative pin (Byrde 97; Foster 52). For headwear, the top hat was the standard choice for day and evening; by the late 1830s, fine silk replaced beaver felt as the preferred material (Ginsburg 86). Another significant development was made in top hat construction; Antoine Gibus patented a design for a collapsible top hat in 1835, allowing it to be folded flat for storage at evening events such as the opera. The “gibus hat” became a popular choice for evening wear through the remainder of the century (Byrde 98).

During the 1830s, newborn infants were dressed in very long white dresses with short sleeves and a low neckline (Fig. 1). Notably, the Ayrshire needlework industry created exemplary versions, beautifully decorated with needlepoint embroidery. (Rose 56-58). These dresses were almost always in white cotton because it allowed easy bleaching and laundering. As babies became more active at about six months old, they were dressed in “short clothes,” calf-length dresses that allowed them to move (Callahan). Caps were also worn by babies, and they became more elaborate in the 1830s (Buck 50). As throughout the nineteenth century, both boys and girls wore dresses during infancy and toddlerhood.

Fashions for young girls were modeled after adult styles. One of the only distinguishing features was the length of the skirt (Tortora 345). During the 1830s, the hemline was calf-length for young girls, lengthening as she aged. Young girls’ dresses were cut with low necklines, almost off-the-shoulder and often featured elbow-length sleeves, another element that was unique to childhood (Fig. 2) (Buck 125-126). Otherwise, girls’ dresses featured all the fashionable elements of their mothers’ gowns (Fig. 3) (Rose 73). As skirts expanded, girls began to wear petticoats, and sometimes even a small bustle. The most important underwear for girls were their “drawers” or “pantalettes” which modestly covered their legs underneath the shorter skirts (Buck 135-137, 241). In a decade in which women’s jewelry is notable, girls’ also commonly wore jewelry. The most fashionable was a coral necklace as coral was believed to bring good fortune to the wearer (Tortora 344). Outside, girls were expected to wear bonnets, also much like adult styles.

Boys remained in dresses, like their sisters, with white drawers underneath (Fig. 2), until about age three or four, when they were breeched, a symbolic act of donning their first trousers. They then entered a transitional phase in which they were still too young for trousers and jackets (Rose 91). Instead, from ages three to seven or eight, boys wore tunic-dresses over trousers (Fig. 4). These tunics could take many forms, from those much like a man’s frock coat, to loosely-cut versions that were worn with a wide belt (Buck 119; Rose 93-94). By eight years of age, a boy moved into jackets and trousers, and was then considered fully breeched (Callahan). The jacket was usually rather short and single-breasted, and the trousers were similar to adult versions. By thirteen or fourteen, boys began to wear coats with tails, like their fathers’, a final sign of growing up (Buck 219, 221-222). Figure 5 depicts a boy in each of these phases, beginning with the young boy in the center and moving counter-clockwise. For headwear, boys wore broad-brimmed hats and a variety of caps (Rose 96).