Friday’s Fashion Plate: 1810 Ballgown

This English ballgown is from Ackermann’s Repository of Arts, 1810.

Ball Dress, 1810 ~ Ackermann's Repository of Arts

In 1810, the Empire style of costume was at its height. Dresses were long and narrow, with very high waists. Petticoats were slender and for modesty only; they did little to shape the slender skirts.

Here we have an ankle-length ballgown of white satin with a delicate overlay of black net. The bodice has a wide square neckline, short puffed sleeves, and a dip at the center waist. The overlay of black net is split down the center, forming a V-shape on the bodice; it’s caught together at the high waist, and again at her hips. Small black tassels trim the hem of the overlay.

To finish the outfit, she wears elbow-length white gloves, a necklace of jet beads, and a matching bracelet on her upper arm. Her hair is pulled back with curls at the temples, and is topped with a crescent moon diadem. She wears white stockings and white slippers trimmed with black.

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What do you think of this ballgown? Is the hem shockingly short or just right for dancing?