The 1850s in Fashionable Gowns: A Visual Guide to the Decade | Mimi Matthews

The 1850s ushered in a decade of bright colors, exotic fabrics, and womanly curves.  Gone were the restrictive Gothic gowns of the 1840s.  In their place were distinctively feminine frocks with flowing, pagoda-style sleeves and impossibly full skirts supported by the newly introduced wire cage crinoline.  This was a decade during which fashion was influenced by the Crimean War, the emergence of the modern sewing machine, and the increasing…

Source: The 1850s in Fashionable Gowns: A Visual Guide to the Decade | Mimi Matthews