Dress

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

By 1866 fashion had decreed that the fullness of the skirt hsould be gathered up somewhat at the back, and that an overskirt should be added to the full skirt. In 1868 the great expanse of the skirt narrowed considerably at the side, giving a much straighter silhouette in front; the fullness now moved to center back, where the primary shaping was provided by the bustle.

The Costume Institute

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.

Metropolitan Museum of Art