Á la Mode, 1795 to 1920 Fashion Plates from the Boston Public Library

Image @Boston Public Library. I photo
shopped the image to appear whiter. From
Ackermann's Repository, 1818.

The Boston Public Library’s collection includes rare fashion plates that represent 125 years of high fashion. An online exhibition begins in 1795 with dresses inspired by classical Greece and Rome. It ends in 1920 with fashions based on modern art principles of cubism and abstraction.

"Fashion plates of idealized women wearing aristocratic styles began appearing in France and England in the mid-18th century. Soon afterward, enterprising artists and engravers found success in publishing fashion plates in a new subscription format called the fashion journal. The upheavals of the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars made London an independent  center of fashion, with its own distinct style until 1820." - Click here to read more

About the dress:

"1818: Transition. Women’s dress began departing from the classical ideal towards a "Romantic" mode. The waistline was still high, although sleeves puffed out a bit. Skirts became less tubular and more wedge-shaped, with a flare at the hem. The hemline was emphasized with lavish trimmings: flowers, ribbons, frills, and other decorations. Vertical curls characterized the hairstyle".