Victoria and Albert Museum – Item #T.128-1923With the expansion of the railroads and the rising middle-class during the 1870’s and 1880’s, more Victorians were vacationing at resorts by the ocean or inland lakes.  Fashionable dresses worn at these resorts were more casual than at home.  Charming dresses in lively stripes, colorful chintzes and cool muslin graced the boardwalks as women donned their seaside wardrobes.

The featured dress is from the textile and fashion collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in England.  The dress was made in the United Kingdom in the early 1870’s.  The fabric is cotton trimmed with silk braid and fastened with bone buttons.   The dress is inspired by the sailor suit, which was made popular by the Prince of Wales.  The skirt is gored with a straight panel at the back, gathered at the waist. The over-skirt is pointed with patch pockets and a pocket in the seam. There is also a belt trimmed with a stitched bow with long ends. The outfit is unlined. This is a jaunty, sensible and comfortable though decorative seaside outfit of a kind which rarely survives.