A 1839 Dress for the Races for the Ensemble Eclectica Paper Dolls

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

If you’ve ever watched Bridgerton, than you might know that in England in the 19th century there as a “social season”. The social season corresponded with the sitting of English Parliament and then went into the summer, usually ending around June. Basically, all the Lords had to leave their estates and come to London to do political work. There’s some debate when it “started” and I suspect these things, as with most things, didn’t have specific dates.

Unlike London, the Paris social season didn’t align with the sitting of parliament. Everything I’ve read suggests it was less formal. However, the races at Longchamp often marked the end of the social season in Paris. Longchamp was the place to see and be seen and show off the latest summer fashions. Remember that scene in My Fair Lady at the Ascot Races? That’s what Longchamp was for the Paris season- both a horse race and a big deal socially.

Published in Le Bon Ton, a French fashion magazine, these 1839 dresses are meant for Longchamp. These April gowns were trying to show the height of fashion for the races that ended the Paris social season.

I didn’t chose these gowns for their connection to horse racing. I picked them, because I thought they really show the transition into the 1840s. The dropped shoulders, the pleating at the top of the sleeve, the fullness right around the forearm coming into the wrist are all distinctive of the early 1840s and late 1830s. Plus, the details at the top of the sleeves and the longer skirts.

I wanted to end the series with something that really felt more 1840s than 1830s and this 1839 dress qualified.

When I started this whole project, I had intentions to continue through the 1840s and 1850s. Now that I am wrapping up the 1830s, I am not sure if I have the steam to keep going. I also don’t want to stop. So, I might see how I feel in a few weeks, because there is going to be a pause. After all, I don’t have the dresses from the 1840s finished yet.

In the meantime, I have some other content I’ll be sharing, including a wrap up post later this week to show off the entire 1830s decade worth of paper doll dresses.

Did you have a favorite? Let me know in a comment.