Civil War-era dresses for women (1861-1867)

1800s, Vintage beauty & fashion, Vintage magazines

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The 1860s were a time of great conflict and stress, but that didn’t mean that formal Civil War-era dresses were suddenly less extravagant. As you can see here, they were anything but — with yards of fine fabrics, lace and ribbon adornments.

Antique Civil War dress (1861)

Colored fashion plates of several Civil War dresses (1863)

Ruffled Civil War dress with bows (1861)

The Mariana (1862)

The Francesca (1862)

Civil War lace dress (1861)

Colored fashion plates featuring 3 women in Civil War dresses (1862)

Women sitting in a Civil War dress (1861)

Colored fashion plates of Civil war dresses (1861)

The Clarenda (1862)

Organdie skirt. Fancy Zouave, braided with black, and trimmed with black lace. White silk vest.

The Almerian (1862)

This style, made of heavy black silk, is among the most beautiful novelties of the spring mantillas. No description is required, as its mode is fully explained by the illustration.

Colored fashion plate featuring several types of Civil war dresses (1862)

The Phoebus (1862)

This wrap is of black cloth, trimmed with crochet passementerie.

The Albertina Dress (1862)

Watering-place dress, made of Satin de Mai. White ground, with linked rings of porcelain blue. Four flounces are on the skirt, and the front is made en tablier, with the flounces extending to the waist; the edges of the flounces are concealed by a puffing. Fancy lace fichu. Rice straw hat, trimmed with black velvet and blue ribbon.

The Alice Maud Dress (1862)

Grisaille dress, which is a mixed gray material, made with a box-plaited trimming, extending round and up the front of the skirt, and forming lapels on the front of the body and a bertha at the back. Mantle of the same material, trimmed with black velvet and box plaiting. Gray straw hat, trimmed with black velvet and roses.

The Jenny Dress (1862)

Sprigged grenadine dress, with four flounces on the skirt, bound and headed with black velvet. Pompadour waist, trimmed to match the skirt. Coiffure of gold cord and black velvet.

Civil war dresses – Colored fashion plates from 1861

The Richelieu (1862)

This cloak is made of black velvet, trimmed with white silk, cross barred with narrow velvet, and finished with a rich crochet passementerie.

The Bajados (1862)

We illustrate a very pleasing variety of the sack shapes. It can be made of several light summer fabrics. The one [below] represents a white brilliant, with an edging of rose-colored silk.

Colored fashion plate with 2 Civil war dresses (1862)

The Caroline (1862)

Colored fashion plate with black and blue Civil War dresses (1863)

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The Eugenie (1862)

Matilda — Walking dress (1862)

Gored dress, trimmed en Zouave (1862)

The Monaceda (1861)

We commence in this issue to present the styles which await the favor of our friends. There is in this mode an elegance and a simplicity that will render it a great favorite. The material is black silk, with passementerie of great beauty.

Two ladies in Civil War-era dresses (1862)

Post-Civil War, Reconstruction-era dresses

Here are some of the high fashion gowns and dresses from 1867, as illustrated by one of the top authorities of the day, Godey’s Lady’s Book magazine.

MORE FASHION FOR WOMEN FROM AROUND THE CIVIL WAR

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