Child’s Dress with Ruffles

anonymous, c. 1850

The dresses worn by girls in the 19th century largely followed women’s fashion. For instance, this child’s dress resembles the lady’s dress from the same period on view in this gallery. The most striking difference is the length of the skirt, which consists of two rather than three ruffles. From the beginning of the 19th century girls wore shorter skirts, which became longer as they got older.