What was 1840 like

Original textiles were salvaged from antique dresses and re-made in the s silhouette Fig. Frequently the only trim on a dress was matching piping on the seams; this self-fabric trim maintained the focus of the ensemble on the textile Johnston Cotton, wool, and linen were also worn, usually for standard morning attire and less dressy occasions.

Patterned designs were also seen, often florals, stripes, and plaids in understated colors. Portrait of Elizabeth Brown Montier , Oil on canvas; 32 x 26 in. Philadelphia: The Collection of Mr. Source: The Philadelphia Museum of Art. Afternoon dress, detail , ca. Silk, cotton. Oil on canvas; x 88 cm.

Gift from Henry Hornyold-Strickland, Afternoon dress , ca. Evening dress , ca. Museum Purchase. Day dress and Pelerine , Source: The Cincinnati Art Museum. Pelerines, usually made to match the dress, were common lightweight outerwear Fig. Various styles of mantles and coats were fashionable; pardessus was a generic term that referred to any number of outerwear styles Shrimpton 10; Tortora Shawls were popular as well, particularly cashmere shawls Fig. Women wore their hair parted in the center, and looped smoothly over the ears, drawn back into a chignon or bun.

An alternate style, worn especially by younger women for dressier occasions, consisted of long ringlet curls hanging on either side of the face, with the rest of the hair drawn back into a chignon Foster 13; Severa Women often wore white cotton or linen day caps indoors, placed at the back of the head, that could feature hanging lappets of lace Tortora The bonnet was the universal choice for outdoor millinery.

During the s, it became closely-fit, and the crown became indiscernible from the brim which curved down around the face Fig. Fashion historian C. Cunnington noted that:. Given by an anonymous donor, Source: National Portrait Gallery. Bonnet , ca. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Gift of Miss Marjorie W. Source: Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Jenny Lind , ca. Bequeathed by the sitter's son, Ernest Svend David Goldschmidt, Photograph; Washington, D.

Source: Library of Congress. D uring the s and early s, there was scarcely a more famous performer than Jenny Lind. A true celebrity, Lind was one of the first personalities whose name was used to sell clothing and accessories. Born in Stockholm, Sweden in , Lind was one of the most critically acclaimed opera singers of the nineteenth century. She was catapulted to a new level of fame, when she began a tour of the United States in , under the management of American showman, P. Crowds packed the streets of New York to greet Lind as she steamed into the harbor, and she went on to perform 93 concerts to adoring, sold-out audiences Spongberg ch.

Jenny Lind did not wear elaborate or flashy fashions as one might assume for such a sparkling celebrity; for her American tour, she performed in an understated white gown.

In portraits, she is usually depicted in elegant, if simple and modest, fashions Fig. However, in a decade defined by demure restraint, this was precisely her appeal Shrumm. Her clothing choices were only an element of the larger refined morality about her persona. Biographer Ernest Albert Spongberg noted,. She was someone that both affluent and middle-class women could aspire to emulate, and that was reflected in the mania for clothing items named for the famous singer.

After she performed in any city, particularly on her American tour, shops would sell items inspired by Lind. Spongberg noted that as she moved through the States,. Milliners and dressmakers could greatly benefit from her patronage as well, which was a 19th-century celebrity endorsement Spongberg ch.

Dickinson, a milliner in Northampton, Massachusetts, enjoyed a boom in her business after Lind visited her shop in Severa M enswear of the s became less exaggerated than the previous decade, and grew increasingly understated and somber Fig. Fashion historian James Laver writes,. The exaggerated hourglass silhouette of s menswear, achieved with padding and closely shaped coats, gave way to a long, narrow line in the s.

The male waistline dropped, as in womenswear, for a long, fitted look Shrimpton Sleeves were narrow and no longer gathered into the armscye, which had created a puffed shoulder, but fit smoothly into a sloping shoulder line Tortora Unlike womenswear, clothing for men was widely available readymade by this period Severa 2, 19; Byrde In the s, the frock coat became standard daywear; it was a coat with a horizontal waistline seam and full skirts ending above the knee Fig.

The frock was usually tailored in black or dark wool Shrimpton The tailcoat, which consisted of a squared front that cut at the waistline into long tails at the back, could still be seen for formal day occasions Fig.

However, tailcoats were increasingly relegated to evening wear. The gentlemen on the right and left of Figure 4 wear newmarkets. This coat would develop into the morning coat of later decades Waugh A new type of jacket began to be seen in the s for leisurely occasions: the lounge or sack jacket.

Sacks were cut straight, without a waistline seam, and despite the relaxed name still featured high, tight sleeves and a narrow overall fit, as other coats did Severa Trousers were narrowly fitted. This long, smooth line was maintained by a strap that passed under the foot, although the instep strap gradually disappeared through the decade.

Usually, trousers did not match the coat but were made in lighter colors or even tweeds and plaids Laver ; Tortora Source: Art UK. Frock Coat , ca. Wool, cotton. Source: National Museum Of Scotland. Tailcoat: wool twill, fulled broadcloth , with metal buttons. Costume Council Fund. Gift of Woodman Thompson. Man's Vest , ca. Silk cut and voided velvet. Purchased with funds provided by Suzanne A. Saperstein and Michael and Ellen Michelson.

Littlefield American, Daguerrotype of a man in a paisley vest , Photo: Late s, Case: s. Photographic plate with velvet case; 9. By , all trousers were made with a center fly front, as opposed to the earlier fall-front design Waugh Knee breeches and the tightly-fitted pantaloons were only worn for country sportswear or ceremonial dress by this period Tortora By far, the most visually exciting, decorative element of menswear was the waistcoat or vest Figs.

Vests usually featured a deep-V and were made in a variety of rich and colorful patterned silks Johnston ; Shrimpton He was Amazon. Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. McNamara, Robert. Timeline of Events From to James K. Polk, 11th President of the United States.

Extinct Political Parties of the s. Howat, eds. Art and the Empire City: New York, — Exhibition catalogue. New Haven: Yale University Press, See on MetPublications. Visiting The Met? The Falls of Niagara Edward Hicks. The Raymond Children Robert Peckham. Genius of Mirth Thomas Crawford. Taking the Census Francis William Edmonds. Sofa John Henry Belter. Grace Hill for Edwin C.

Despite his Native heritage, Ridge owned slaves while in Arkansas, and believed California Indians to be inferior to other tribes. Ridge supported slavery, opposing both Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation. IE 11 is not supported.

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