Category: 1850-1859

Overview

1850-1859

1850-1859, 19th century, decade overview

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1856 – Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Madame Moitessier

1850-1859, 19th century, artwork analysis

In Ingres’s 1856 portrait, Madame Moitessier wears a fashionable off-the-shoulder dress with a bertha collar trimmed with tassels. The evening dress reflects her elegant taste and features the essential elements of 1850s fashion–from its floral silk brocade fabric to its Renaissance-revival jewelry.

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1855 – Franz-Xaver Winterhalter, The Empress Eugénie Surrounded by her Ladies-in-Waiting

1850-1859, 19th century, artwork analysis

Well-known in the 19th century for his skill at portraiture, Wintherhalter created iconic mannered poses and captured ravishingly elegant dresses, like those in this portrait of the Empress Eugénie and her ladies in waiting, who dress in the most fashionable styles of day.

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1856

1850-1859, 19th century, year overview

In 1856, women’s dresses were made mostly in silk, cotton, and velvet, and their silhouettes consisted of bodices fitted to the waist and full bell skirts that were accessorized with flounces, stripes, trims, and flowers.

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1855

1850-1859, 19th century, year overview

Women’s fashion was ornate above all else in 1855, with the hoop skirt reigning prominently in conjunction with brightly colored silks and satins accessorized with all varieties of tasteful trimmings.

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1859 – Gold silk day dress with floral brocade

1850-1859, 19th century, garment analysis

While the silhouette of this day dress, its floral brocade, and its use of fringe were fashionable for 1859, its choice of gold silk fabric and naturalistic coloring for the flowers was less so.

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Beginning in the 18th century, the activity of sea

French neoclassical painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique

French neoclassical painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres initially refused the commission for this portrait of Madame Sigisbert Moitessier, due to the amount of time it would take from his other artistic pursuits, but was so moved by her beauty he changed his mind. Significant revisions were made to the portrait before it was finished in 1856, taking twelve years to complete. Madame Moitessier’s original 1840s yellow dress was swapped out for an 1850s floral silk brocade gown, accessorized with Renaissance-revival jewelry. Ingres enjoyed painting Madame Moitessier so much he painted a second portrait of her in 1851, standing in a black Chantilly lace gown. Substansial sketches were made for both portraits in order to precisely replicate the detail of Madame Moitessier’s positioning and clothing. Read more at the link in bio!

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The pelisse was a long-sleeve fastening coat that

The pelisse was a long-sleeve fastening coat that was popular from the end of the 18th century until the mid-19th. In line with the popular Directoire-style chemise dresses of the time, the pelisse had a high empire waist and a long loose skirt. The term ‘pelisse’ originated from male military dress in the form of a fur-trimmed cloak worn by regiments within Hungary. In many styles of coat there are references to this past through the use of military lace and frogging. Designed in a variety of materials and colors, many of the coats featured decorative details such as bows, fur, and ribbons. As dresses became wider towards the middle of the century, the pelisse too gained more shape within the skirt until eventually, the fashion fell out of style. Read more at the link in the bio!

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German painter Franz Xaver Winterhalter contribute

German painter Franz Xaver Winterhalter contributed to several artistic movements such as Rococo, Neoclassicism, and Romanticism but was most well known for his portraiture of nobility. In 1865, towards the end of his career, he painted Empress Elisabeth of Austria and once complete, the portrait was photographed and distributed. She quickly became a style icon due to her lavish satin and tulle ball gown, which was thought to have been made by renowned designer Charles Frederick Worth. The dress is ornately decorated with thousands of silver foil stars, precious stones, and pearls, as is her hair with diamond edelweiss pins, the emblematic flower of the Austrian Alps. The portrait has had a large influence on fashion history as women have worn gowns, hair pins, and hairstyles similar to that of Empress Elisabeth. Her entire look from this portrait was also completely recreated in 2014 for a short film produced by Karl Legerfeld, starring Cara Delevigne and Pharrell. Read more at the link in bio!

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A labret is a type of lip-piercing that was worn b

A labret is a type of lip-piercing that was worn by various cultures in the ancient Americas to indicate wealth, prosperity and beauty. They were often crafted from precious materials, like gold, jadeite, obsidian and walrus ivory. These gold labrets were made by the Aztecs in Mesoamerica and the Tairona in South America. Read more about the labret at the link in bio!

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For men, the 1630s was an age of leather, long loc

For men, the 1630s was an age of leather, long locks and lace, while women shimmered in soft satins and plenty of lace of their own. Read more about the 1630s at the link in bio!

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The L’Eléphant Blanc was featured in Yves St. L

The fashion landscape of the 1960s was entirely di

The fashion landscape of the 1960s was entirely different from that of any previous decade. Not only was clothing more casual across all genders and ages, but instead of one overarching style of clothing, there were several trends one could choose to participate in. Some women continued the trend for formal elegance that was popular the decade prior, but was carried into the 1960s by style icon First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Another trend encompassed the playful and colorful styles of British boutiques like that of Mary Quant, as well as space-age aesthetics popularized by designers like Pierre Cardin and André Courrèges. Towards the end of the decade “hippie” style emerged, which included eastern-influences and second-hand clothing. While men participated in these trends, they also began looking to style icons like Mick Jagger and Jimi Hendrix for inspiration, who were known to sport military jackets while performing, which in turn popularized a military aesthetic. These trends began a huge shift in fashion with the birth of street style, which placed the consumer at the center of inspiration as fashion was disseminated from the streets up to designers, rather than vice versa. Read more at the link in bio!

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Berthe Morisot painted this portrait of a young Ma

Berthe Morisot painted this portrait of a young Marguerite Carré in 1870. In the portrait, Carré wears a pink ruffled day dress with black velvet accessories; styles both typical of the time. The dress features a high collar, center ruffles, and engageantes flaring out from the mid-length sleeves. Her specific type of bodice, the basque bodice, extends beyond the waistline in a sort of peplum and adds more detail to the already romantic dress. Because of the high neck and longer sleeves, the dress can be identified as a day outfit as time-of-day dressing was a necessity of the time with short-sleeved dresses being reserved for evening wear. Wearing a black lace net headpiece on top of her piled hair suggests she was spending time inside rather than leaving her home. Both Carré and her sister Valentine were sitters for the work of Morisot numerous times as she often depicted society women in Paris. The portrait itself was made to be placed in the Villa Fodor, Marguerite’s home, located in a wealthy neighborhood west of Paris. Read more at the link in the bio!
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