Category Archives: Florence of the 1870′s

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Carriage dresses differed from walking dresses for the Victorian lady because they were intended to be worn while riding in a carriage. So, they often feature long trains and long skirts. It’s odd to realize that the bustle was originally considered a more rational solution to the huge width that crinoline skirts had grown too.

Fashion can be such a funny thing.

Outside, the snow has coated the ground and it is a beautiful white covering. It makes everything look so peaceful. Unfortunately, it also makes everything so very cold. I avoid spending much time outside.

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I have come to the end of my first week of classes. I am tired, but pleased to have gotten posted Florence’s underwear. It’s actually a simplified version of all the layers Victorian women wore. I’m glad I don’t wear so many layers of underwear.

Except when it’s really cold out, then I get close.

But not corsets… I wouldn’t want to wear a corset.

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French Fashion Dolls were dolls made in the 19th century to help educate young ladies how to dress properly for adulthood. They often had a complete trousseau of clothing which makes them a great subject for paper dolls. Florence is a combination of several different dolls. Her face is based on the dolls of François Gaultier like this one from the Carmel Doll Shop. Her body is based on a wooden bodied Bru doll which is one of the most highly prized types of French fashion dolls. I think she sure does make a beautiful Victorian paper doll for printing and coloring in.

Since I didn’t want to end up drawing clothing from the entire French fashion doll era (it ran from about the 1850′s through about 1885, though there are some from as late as 1915), I decided to limit myself. This printable paper doll and her wardrobe is from between the years 1869 and 1875. Today, the paper doll has her night gown, dressing gown and night cap. Next Friday, Florence’ll get her underwear and then after that she’ll start getting dresses to print. Since Florence, like Curves, is a printable paper doll hold over from the old blog, I do plan to post a mixture of dresses some people have seen and some people haven’t. I am still proud of a lot of the dresses I drew for Florence last year this isn’t true of a lot of things I’ve drawn), so I have no intention to not keep them as part of the paper doll’s trousseau.