Dolly Varden Dress
1875
Dolly Varden Ad 1869-1875
Dolly Varden Dress
Dolly Varden refers to a style of dress that was a popularized by Dolly Varden, a character in Charles Dickens's 1839 novel Barnaby Rudge. This dress consist of a bodice, a skirt and an overskirt called a polonaise. The underskirt is smooth while the polonaise is ruffled and gives it the iconic Dolly Varden appearance. The Dolly Varden dress is made of light-weight cotton and printed with a pink fern design. This dress is extremely delicate and would not be suitable for domestic work.
Bed Gown
1870-1880
Bed gowns were the loosest, most comfortable garments that women wore. This bed gown is short and very light-weight cotton. It would hang from the woman’s shoulders going straight down, without a waistband. Bed gowns from the 1800’s were very often white or cream since they were easy to clean. Along with this bed gown, the woman would also wear a night cap. Because of its nature, this gown would not be appropriate to wear anywhere besides in bed. In fact, a woman would not even wear this at her own dining room table in the morning. The first thing she would do when she woke up is change into a morning wrapper, which was more appropriate to be seen in.
Comparing The Dolly Varden Dress And The Bed Gown
Although both of these dresses are white, they would be worn for very different purposes. The bed gown would be worn for bed, one of the most intimate and private places in a woman’s life. The Dolly Varden dress would be worn in a public setting, out on the streets or socializing with friends. The bed gown is very short and does not cover the woman in an appropriate way. While the Dolly Varden dress has layers and is properly stylized for a public setting
Dolly Varden
Bed Gown
House Dress
Structured Dress
Tea Gown
