Merriam-Webster defines "morning dress" for women as "a woman's dress suitable for wear around the home; especially: an informal dress for housework". This dress, made of "Cyprus crepe, of a pale lavender colour" with "nine bands of of gros de Naples, bound with satin" is a far cry from that. However the "square collar of worked muslin" and the "round cap of sprigged bobbinet" add a domestic touch to the outfit.
Surviving morning dresses from this era appear to have used much less expensive material and be much simpler in construction. They run more to printed cotton than crepe and satin. One suspects that dresses like the one in this print were only ever worn by a minority of the beau monde, if at all!
The heavy garb of winter begins now rapidly to give way to the lighter attire of spring. Cloth pelisses have disappeared; velvet ones are still partially worn, but they are more generally adopted in silk. Beaver bonnets are seldom seen; Leghorn and silk are very general. Swans-down muffs and tippets begin to be substituted in carriage dress for ermine and chinchilla.
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