1800

 Fashion Plate
  BMP.131 & BMP.137
         
The upheaval of the French Revolution caused a rethinking of accepted ideas about society and was reflected in the dramatic change of fashion around this period. The simple, barely structured dresses made of layers of pale fine cotton or muslin were a deliberate contrast to the sumptuous coloured woven silks and dramatic shapes preceding the century of court dresses. One-piece dresses, thought to resemble chemises (under garments), were high waisted, emphasising the bust, feminine and diaphanous.    
                               
1740 1780 1800 1820 1840 1851 1856 1875 1878 1890 1900 1910 1925 1930 1940 1950
                               
     
 

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