American

Fashion plates in popular publications of the 1870s and 1880s attest to the predilection for the swags and poufs, rich fabrics, and elaborate trim that defined both the well-outfitted woman and her domestic interior. In the “Chitchat on Fashions” section of the December 1878 issue of Godey’s (see fashion plate at top left), the editors wrote: “No piece is left for sweet simplicity. There are lappets of every shape and length, waistcoats of one color and tabliers of another, flutings of cashmere, and draperies of brocade, ruches of silk, and bias bands of striped satin.” The accompanying illustration at right, from How to Furnish a Home (1882), shows a similar approach to a lady’s boudoir.