1880s going away dress outside

This entry is part 23 of 23 in the series Carondelet Historical Society Project

The weather was SO pretty outside that we decided to go take some fashion photos at Carondelet Park. The boathouse at Carondelet Park, although originally built in 1918, and the concrete pergolas (built in the 1930s), made for perfect a perfect set to go with this 150+ year old 1880s bustle dress.

Even without the proper corset, slips, petticoats, maybe a bustle cage and other foundation garments, this 1885 dress still came to life. The 1880s were the time of steamboats and elaborate bustle fashions! She looks like she just stepped out of a mid 1880s fashion plate!

Going through these pictures, a few years later, fills me with the same sense of awe that I had during shooting this dress. Everything that day worked out perfectly, and although my model Tiffany was probably tired, neither of us wanted to stop.

I was so scared of damaging the dress, and I was so grateful to get to photograph such a well preserved piece of 1880s St. Louis history!

I was inspired to create a cool piece of Photoshop art while going through the pictures from this photoshoot. I found the perfect 1880s steamboat photo to replace the lake and early 1900s houses that were in the original image. I’ve posted my process photos. The back doesn’t match the front in toning, because by the time it got to THAT point, my eyes were totally blurring and I was tired of looking at it all.

See how this dress shows the latest mid-1880s bustle fashions:

http://www.bartoscollection.com/fp1885.html – 1885 fashion plates
http://www.bartoscollection.com/fp1884.html – including this, because dresses of this era were hand made, and fashions take time to spread. I think her dress resembles these 1884 fashion plates more.

A woman in a maroon dress from the 1880s is standing by a lake.

A woman in an 1880s going away dress standing outside in front of a boat.

Here’s the photo after I put the 1880s steamboat photo behind her. I forget where I found the original St. Louis riverfront picture, but it went perfectly!

An old photograph of a woman in an 1880s dress.

Here is the front of the cabinet card that I made. I know that it doesn’t quite match – I used a separate scan for the front, when I should have used the front of the same card that I used on the back to keep the toning and style consistent.

A handwritten note on a piece of paper from the 1880s.

Here is the back of the cabinet card, photoshopped to include my photography name at the time (ReverieRevel) and the note that came with the 1880s going away dress.