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Evening Dress. Ball Dress.

Fashion Plate
March 1828 (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This fashion plate is from the periodical La Belle Assemblée or Bell's Court and Fashionable Magazine Addressed Particularly to the Ladies, published between 1806 and 1868. This plate is from March, 1828. The fashion plates showed the latest dress styles, with written descriptions, detailing the hairstyle, accessories and materials used, giving very specific information about the trends of each month.

This plate shows an evening dress and a ball dress. Both outfits include gloves, elaborate hairstyles and narrow shoes. The waists are tiny and the skirts full. La Belle Assemblée was an early example of a women's magazine, with articles about celebrities and royalty, etiquette advice, beauty and cosmetic instructions and advertisements selling make-up and corsets. It also carried information about births, marriages and deaths.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleEvening Dress. Ball Dress. (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Etching and engraving on paper
Brief description
'Evening Dress. Ball Dress.' Fashion plate, hand-coloured etching and engraving, published in 'La Belle Assemblée' by G. B. Whittaker, British, March 1828.
Physical description
A print combining etching, engraving and hand-colouring, showing two women in evening dress, one in a blue and white striped dress and one in a white dress, a white background.
Dimensions
  • Height: 19cm
  • Width: 11.5cm
Measured by SH 25/07/2010.
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'Evening Dress. Ball Dress' (Lettered with titles)
  • 'Published by G. B. Whittaker for La Belle Assemblée. No.39 New Series March 1828' (Lettered)
Credit line
Given by Mr James Laver CBE
Subjects depicted
Summary
This fashion plate is from the periodical La Belle Assemblée or Bell's Court and Fashionable Magazine Addressed Particularly to the Ladies, published between 1806 and 1868. This plate is from March, 1828. The fashion plates showed the latest dress styles, with written descriptions, detailing the hairstyle, accessories and materials used, giving very specific information about the trends of each month.

This plate shows an evening dress and a ball dress. Both outfits include gloves, elaborate hairstyles and narrow shoes. The waists are tiny and the skirts full. La Belle Assemblée was an early example of a women's magazine, with articles about celebrities and royalty, etiquette advice, beauty and cosmetic instructions and advertisements selling make-up and corsets. It also carried information about births, marriages and deaths.
Bibliographic reference
Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1959 . London: HMSO, 1964.
Collection
Accession number
E.1032-1959

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Record createdJanuary 28, 2004
Record URL
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