Dress

This woman's purple silk dress dates from between around 1870 and 1873. It is typical of the fashion of the time in that it includes a large bustle at the back.

The dress is in three parts: a jacket-style bodice with deep cuffs, a plain underskirt with a slight train and an overskirt or apron.

The deep vivid colour of this dress is the result of new synthetic dyes which became commercially available from the 1860s. Strong, dark tones helped to disguise the effects of the dirty, smoky atmosphere of towns.

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