John Bright Collection – London, England

One thing that comes to mind when you think of Victorian Era clothing, is all the layers and yards of fabric that went into making each dress.  How did the ladies survive the hot, humid summers with all that clothing on – especially if they were wearing long sleeves?

The answer is that they used sheer and lightweight fabric.   The dress in this photo is from the John Bright Collection in London, England.  It is an original summer dress that was made in the late 1860’s, but would be appropriate for any Civil War events this summer.

The outer dress is made from a sheer fabric with a lightweight, opaque undergarment.  It is belted at the waist and has a ruffle at the bottom.