These are the sorts of dresses Hollywood would try to reproduce in its depictions of the antebellum South. The key features of the styles depicted are the wide hooped skirts (at their widest in 1859), the flounces adorning skirt and mantle and the bell-shaped sleeves. The wide skirts and sleeves made their wearers' tiny waists seem still tinier, though it should be noted that the models' proportions were exaggerated for this fashion plate— unrealistic figures being a feature of fashion illustration in the 19th century as much as today.
FIG. I. —DINNER DRESS OF PINK ORGANDY.—The skirt is trimmed with seven flounces. Body high, with a low underlining, and round at the waist. Over this body a cape of the material of the dress may be worn at pleasure. A bow and ends of pink silk, trimmed with a figured ribbon, is worn at the waist. Short sleeves composed of two ruffles.
FIG. II.—WALKING DRESS OF FRENCH SILK, IN LILAC AND WHITE STRIPES—Mantle of the same material as the dress. Sun hat of white French lawn, trimmed with a bouquet of field flowers.
(Since the first dress is manifestly NOT pink, I can only conclude that there was some kind of mis-communication between the caption writer and the colourist!)
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