Historical Saga Novels: Victorian Dresses

There is a fantastic Facebook page called the The Corseted Beauty - https://www.facebook.com/thecorsetedbeauty/
and it showcases the most beautiful fashion from different eras. I'm putting a few photos on this page of the Victorian era, which would be similar to what some of my characters would wear in my novels.

Evening dress, Scotland, ca. 1865

Evening dress, American, ca. 1865

Cincinnati Art Museum

Evening dress, ca. 1850s

Kerry Taylor Auctions

Evening dress, by Emile Pingat, ca. 1885

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Afternoon dress, American, ca. 1860.

From the Mint Museum:
"In the 1860s, the fullness of the skirt moved to the rear of the dress with this volume of fabric supported by bustle pads, wire mesh frameworks or cage bustles. This afternoon ensemble includes a matching cool weather jacket lined in wool fleece, a short-waisted bodice, a bustled overskirt with a slight train, and an underskirt with a flat front and full back. The unique triangular-shaped large pocket on the overskirt is called a "parasol pocket" although it is a true pocket and was not intended to hold a lady's parasol. "

Ball gown, by Maison Soinard, Paris, ca. 1868-1869

From the McCord Museum:
"The date is substantiated by those of Caroline-Virginie de Saint-Ours-Kierzkowski's honeymoon in Europe and her documented Paris visits in 1868 and 1869, which determine when she bought the gown with the Paris label.

Caroline-Virgine de Saint-Ours-Kierzkowski was fashion conscious. In a diary written during her European honeymoon in 1868-1869 she remarked on the dress of New York women, finding them, to her taste, over-dressed. In London, she commented on her enjoyment of window-shopping. And while visiting Paris, she wrote of La Messe des Élégants at the Église de la Madeleine : she wryly observed that at this late mess, people seemed to be moved more by the display of the toilettes than by the service. "