The Last of the Boulevard 'Lions', 1853

The men depicted in this plate are wearing fashionable haut-de-formes (top-hats), fairly loose-fitting striped pants, and 'jacquettes' with wider wand lower waists. The woman in this plate is wearing a very wide skirt, supported by a crinoline and accentuated by a corseted waist. Her skirt has many 'volants' or flounces, adding to the width of her skirt. She wears a bonnet tipped back on her head with a large ribbon and ruched (or accented with lace or fabric) brim of her bonnet. Abstract sources: Boucher, François. 20,000 Years of Fashion. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 1967. Ruppert, Jacques. Le Costume Français. Paris: Flammarion, 1996.