EB “The Shepherdess” 1840 – PDF Download

We will never know who EB is but we have nicknamed her “The Shepherdess”.  Like Little Boo Peep, she is standing in her field tending her sheep.  Her dress and hairstyle are typical of that of early Victorian England.

Horizontal hem treatments added focus to skirts and sleeves began to grow fuller at the shoulder.  The waist had resumed its natural position while necklines became very wide and bodice lines took on a highly distinctive V-shape. Ankle-length skirts became quite full and needed several petticoats beneath for support.  By the late 1830s into the early 1840s sleeves had become enormous, with fullness extending from the shoulder to the elbow, giving rise to what became known as the “Leg of Mutton Sleeve”.

EB 1840 “The Shepherdess” is the first in a series of three samplers of “little girls in red dresses”. This PDF version will be available for a limited time before all three girls will be compiled into one booklet.