You thought you were going to dress like its 1873, but then realized you'd stepped out without your fashion guide. Well, Passed Time is here to help. In 1873, Mrs. Henry Peterson published Lady's Friend Monthly Magazine of Literature and Fashion. No respectable Philadelphia family would be without it--and neither should you.

     Mrs. Peterson's insightful fashion editorial was published on PT a few weeks back and the following catalog sports the must-haves of the season. 

Ladies' Box-Plaited Wrapper, with a Yoke. 

     No. 2557-The elegant wrapper which those engravings illustrate, is made of empress cloth with trimmings of dark velvet. It has a square yoke at the back and in front, and the body is joined to the yoke with large double box-plaits, which are only confined as far as the waist-line, while the box-plait in the centre of the front is extended to the bottom of the garment. the skirt is trimmed around about five inches from the lower edge, with ribbon velvet a little over an inch in width, arranged in large diamonds which overlap each other at the corners and form smaller diamonds at the intersections. Each coat sleeve is ornamented at the wrist with a cuff which is deepest at the outside seam; a row of the velvet trims the top , and two large velvet buttons are placed at the back. Similar buttons with buttonholes close the entire length of the front, and a cambric ruffle finishes the neck and the wrist of each sleeve. A belt of the material is tacked at the waist-line of the back, and closes over the front with a buckle, adjusting the garment to the figure.

     Gray satine or cashmere with trimmings of blue silk or scarlet velvet, would be elegant if made in this style. Prints or delaines are also appropriate materials.

     We have this pattern in sizes for ladies from twenty-eight to forty-six inches, bust measure.

     Ten and a fourth yards of material, twenty-seven inches wide, will be required to make a wrapper in this manner for a lady of medium size.

      Price of pattern, seventy-five cents.

 Ladies' High-Necked Corset-Cover, With Long Sleeves.

     No. 2568.--These engravings illustrate a useful and comfortable garment for a lady. It is made of fine opera flannel, and bound with lutestring ribbon. The front is neatly fitted at each side by a cross-basque seam and two darts which extend to the bottom, and the back has a seam in the centre. The front closes all the way down with buttonholes and small pearl buttons, and the edges of the neck, fronts, bottom and wrists of the coat sleeves are bound with wide lutestring ribbon.

     Canton flannel or heavy muslin may be made in this way, with linen or cotton tape to bind the edges.

     We have this pattern in sizes for ladies from twenty-eight to forty-six inches, bust measure.

     Two and a half yards of material, twenty-seven inches wide, will make a garment like this for a lady of medium size.

     Price of pattern, twenty-five cents. 

     Misses' Watteau Wrapper.

No. 2550.--These engravings illustrate a handsome wrapper for a miss. It is made of merino and trimmed with a lighter shade of the same material and a darker shade of velvet. It is fitted on each side fo the front with a long dart, and at the back with side-seams. The centre of the back is laid in a double box-plait from the neck to the waist-line, below which it hands loosely to the bottom. The skirt is decorated about five inches from the lower edge with a bias band of the lighter shade about three inches wide, overlaid with square pieces of velvet of the same width slip-stitched on as illustrated. This trimming is continued up each side of the gront in robe form, and around the neck to the back, where is attached a full bow with floating ends of the material and velvet. The sleeve is in coat form, and is bound at the wrist with a row of the trimming, a second row being also placed above. A belt of the material with a narrow velvet band through the centre, passes under the watteau plait at the waist-line, and closes over the front, adjusting the garment to the figure. A narrow band completes the neck, and the front closes all the way down with buttonholes and embroidered merino buttons.

     Figured cretonne, delain or prints, may be made in this style; and braid, rows of velvet, or bias bands are appropriate decorations. 

     We have this pattern in sizes for misses from eight to fifteen years of age.

     Six and a fourth yards of material, twenty-seven inches wide, will be sufficient to make a garment in this manner or a miss of ten years.

     Price of pattern, fifty cents. 

Misses' Polonaise, with a Cape.

No. 2556.--The stylish polonaise which these engravings illustrate, is made of poplin and trimmed with the material and velvet. The front is neatly fitten by a long dart and a cross-basque seam at each side; it is in apron form, and is joined with three plaits, turned upward, under the side-back, skirt-portion, which is laid back below the waist-line like a lapel.  The back is adjusted by a centre-seam and arm-scye seams, the former extending only to the waist-line, where the fulness [sic] is similarly arranged at each side-back seam, where a tape is fastened and tacked at intervals to the skirt, looping it very gracefully. The bottom is slightly pointed, and is trimmed with a box-plaiting of the material nearly two inches wide; the lower edge is finished with a row of half-inch-wide velvet, with a narrower one above, and the wider is placed as a heading to the plaiting. This trimming is continued from the bottom of the front around each reversed portion, and terminates at the waist-line. A deeply pointed cape is joined on the garment at the neck, and is fitted to the shoulders by darts; it is trimmed entirely around with the plaiting, and a bow with ends of velvet is placed in the centre of the back. The sleeve is coat-shaped, and is handsomely decorated at the bottom with a wide box-plaited ruffle of the goods, which is deepest at the outside seam of the wrist, and extends up on the sleeve for about five inches, terminating under a bow of velvet; the lower edge and the heading are completed with the velvet, which is put on to correspond with the rest of the garment. the front closes all the way down with buttons of velvet and button-holes, and a smaller button is placed on the fulness of each side-back seam.

     Peacock-green or olive-brown serge would be elegant if made in this style and decorated with silk or velvet of the same shade. Plum-colored satine would look well if trimmed with ruffles and plaitings of the same.

     We have this pattern in sizes for misses from eight to fifteen years of age. 

     Six and a half yards of material, twenty-seven inches wide, will be sufficient to make a garment in this manner for a miss of thirteen years.

     Prices of pattern, thirty-five cents.

Girls' Gabrielle Dress.

No. 2559.--These illustrations represent a comfortable, neat and pretty syle of dress for a girl. It is made of satine, and is neatly fitted to the figure on each side by one dart, which extends to the bottom of the garment, abnd by a cross-basque seam, which is formed by the joining of the gore back of the dart to the waist-line of the front. The back is closely fitted by side-backs, and is closed its entire legth with buttonholes and velvet buttons. The fulness [sic] at each side-back seam is laid in a double box-plait on the under side, and a button is placed over it on the outside. The bottom is neatly and tastefully decorated about two inches above the edge with three rows of velvet ribbon a short distance apart. The sleeve is coat-shaped and is trimmed at the wrists to correspond with the skirt. The neck is finishes with a narrow band of the material corded on each edge with velvet. 

     A garment like this made of blue merino and braided with white, would be handsome; any suit material would look well made up like the dress described and appropriately trimmed. 

     We have this pattern in sizes for girls from three to nine years of age. 

     Four and a-fourth yeards of material, twenty-seven inches wide, will be required to make a garment like this for a girl of four years.

     Price of pattern, thirty cents. 

Girls' Basque Waist.

No. 2552.--These engravings illustrate a pretty little waist for a girl. It is made of cloth and trimmed with narrow gimp and bullion fringe. It is neatly fitted by crosswise darts a the waist-line, and side-seams, extending to the shoulders at the back and rront. the bottom is deeply pointed, and the front is slashed in the centre to the waist-line, to correspond with the back, which is left open for the same distance. The lower edges are finished with silk fringe about two inches deep, headed by a row of handsome gimp; the latter is continued around the openeings at the back and front, and extends up each under-arm seam to the waist-line. A row of the same passes up each side-front seam, over the shoulder, and down the side-back seam to the bottom. The coat-sleeveis finished at the wrist with a deeply-pointed cuff, which is trimmed around with the gimp, and a narrow band completes the neck. The back closes to the waist-line with buttonholes and medium-sized silk buttons.

     Any dress material, with appropriate trimmings, would make up elegantly in this style. Poplin, serge, or satine, would look well if decorated with fringe, plaitings or ruffles.

     We have this pattern in sizes for girls from three to nine years of age. 

     One and seven-eights yards of material, twenty-seen inches wide, will be required to make a waist in this manner for a girl of five years.

     Price of pattern, twenty-five cents. 

Misses' Night-Dress, with a Yoke.

No. 2563.--These illustrations picture a pretty style of night-dress for a miss; it is made of muslin, with decorations of "Standard" trimmings. It is cut with shoulder and under-arm seams, and the back of the body is gathered to a yoke, which is deeply pointed in the centre. In the front, at each side, a slash is cut from the arm-seye to within abut two inches of the centre; and the lower portion, which is wider, is gathered to the upper, to correspond with the yoke at the back. The yoke is outlined by a row of "Standard" toilet ruffling, which is continued down each side of the front to the bottom. The sleeve is full, being gathererd in at the arm-scye, and at the bottom a band trimmed with the ruffle reversed, and the neck is finished with a pointed collar. 

     Linen, or Jones's or Lyman's cambric is suitable, and braiding, embroidery or Haburg edging may be used as decoration. 

     We have this pattern in sizes for misses from eight to fifteen years of age. 

     Four and three-eights yards of material, thirty-six inches wide, will be sufficient to make a garment in this manner for a miss of ten years.

     Price of pattern, thrity-five cents. 

Boys' Shirt-Waist, with Sleeves.

No. 2570--The neat and simple shirt-waist which these engravings illustrate, is made of fine muslin. A side-plait is laid on each side of, and turning toward the centre of the front, and the bottom is gathered to a wide belt. This full sleeve is finished at the wrist with a band, which is rounding on the corners, and closes at the outside seam with a button and buttonhole. The neck is finished with a pointed collar, and the front is closed with buttons and buttonholes. Linen, cambric, flannel, or prints, are suitable materials. 

     We have this pattern in sizes for boys from three to ten years of age. 

     One and three-fourths yards of material, twenty-seven inches wide, will be sufficient to make a waist in this manner for a boy of eight years. 

      Price of pattern, fifteen cents.

 ©Passed Time Contributing author. November 2015. All rights reserved. 

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