Women's Clothing from 1900
After the Civil War, grooming and tailoring improved. More variety could be seen in men and women's clothing. Women's skirts became narrower and appeared to be more cone-shaped than bell-shaped. Tiny waists were still in style and bustles began to be worn to extend the backs of gowns. Corsets pushed women's chests forward making them appear somewhat like the front of a pigeon. "Shirtwaists" became stylish. They were patterned after men's shirts. Clothing was often heavily starched.
Navigate to each layer of this activity by clicking on the "Next" and "Previous" buttons. Using your cursor, roll over each image to learn about the unfamiliar clothing. (requires Flash Player)
Non-flash, non-interactive, printable version of this activity
top of page