In this next installment of “Pioneering Women of Civil War America,” which follows on the heels of my introduction to Amelia Bloomer (famous for steering women’s dress reform during Victorian times), I would like to address 1860s Women’s Fashion. This video by Daisy Viktoria helps to visualize the layers of undergarments and outer garments women donned beneath their work dresses. Not portrayed in this video are additional layers of undergarments that would have been worn underneath a day dress or party dress/ball gown, such as multiple layers of starched petticoats to create a bell-or-hourglass shape (prior to the invention of the crinoline/hoopskirt) for making women’s figures more attractive.

Kindest Regards, Lisa Y. Potocar