A Dress from 1838 for the Ensemble Eclectica

This is printable paper doll dress coloring page, designed based on a fashion plate from 1838. The set also includes a matching bonnet and a description of the design, which is printed on the page
This is a full-color printable paper doll dress, designed based on a fashion plate from 1838. The set also includes a matching bonnet and a description of the design, which is printed on the page.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Paper Dolls from the Ensemble Eclectica Series

I know I shouldn’t have favorites, but I do and this dress from 1838 is one of them. It was first printed in Le Follet, a french fashion magazine, in 1838.

Fashion plate from 1838 printed in Le Follet and published in July 1838.
Le Follet fashion plate from July 1838

I think this dress is so beautiful. The sleeves are a delight with ribbons and ruching. There’s a slight princess waistline with deep pleating. I’m 90% sure this is a dinner dress, because its paired with a bonnet, but rather a cap of ribbon.

To me, this gown is late 1830s in it’s most elegant. The early 1830s are whimsical and fun, but the later part of the decade gets elegant. And this is elegant.

All right, let’s talk about other details, as the decade came to a close, the sleeves got narrower with accent details falling right above the elbow. You see a lot of upper sleeve decoration. There might be a fashion term for this other than “upper sleeve decoration”, but I’ll be darned if I know what it is.

I didn’t do a lot of patterned dresses during this project, because the other details are so complicated so often in these historical dresses, that I felt like the extra lines from pattern would just be visual clutter.

I didn’t do many patterned dresses for this project because the other details are often so intricate, adding patterns just seemed like visual clutter. However, I loved the floral sprig pattern on this gown—it added so much to the simple silhouette, so I decided to go for it. If I’m drawing a dress from 1838, I figured I might as well include a pattern once in a while.

In fact, I had so much fun coloring the pattern that I made a second version for my Patrons. If you’re a Patron—free or paid—you can check out the periwinkle version over on Patreon.

In the end, this dress from 1838 is a favorite of mine for being elegant and having delicate details. I’m glad I took the chance to add a pattern to the design, as it really enhances the gown’s beauty. I hope you enjoy seeing it as much as I enjoyed bringing it to life—be sure to check out the periwinkle version over on Patreon!

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