Every now and then I need to see a photo like this to remind myself that even though photographs from the 19th century are in black and white, some people did wear bright colors. This dress is labeled as being from France in 1869.
Credit to Defunct Fashion, via Fuck Yeah, Victorians!
The late Victorians had very garish colours, particularly in contrast to prior fashions.
ReplyDeleteWhy? Because the first synthetic dyes were being developed. The book "Mauve" is a fascinating story.
Thank you for the tip; I've requested the book from the library.
ReplyDeleteAniline purple dyes. Victorian era chemists made those bright colours possible.
ReplyDeleteThere's a museum of colour, dedicated to the subject in Bradford, yorkshire