I intended a great post today with glorious Civil War photographs.  But things do not always work as planned.  After just two photographs my scanner gave out.  I’ve had trouble with it before, but it is gone.  So I have two photographs for you.  As they say, less is more.

This first woman’s dress is from the very beginning of the 1860’s.  Notice the plain sleeves, the extreme fullness at the waist.  In later years material at the waist was pleated to give a more fitted look.  She wears a small shawl around her shoulders.  The hair is pulled back severely from the face and covered with a thin cap.  You can see a collar at her neck, but the bodice is blurred, not giving a good idea of what it looked like.  As an older woman, it is possible this dress was first used in the late 1850’s.

The second photograph is a dramatic contrast of the beginning and end of the 1860’s.  The dress is still full, but there is pleating at the waist, and some of the fullness is directed to the back.  Beautifully detailed bishop sleeves, ending in white cuffs, compliment the dress.  The hair, although pulled back, is more relaxed and attractive.  I would enjoy wearing this dress!