The fashionably dressed society lady of the Victorian ere needed a considerable amount of space for her lavish wardrobe. With a busy social schedule that often required her to change apparel seven times during the day, she frequently went from a morning dressing gown and riding outfit to a lunch dress, walking dress, and a visiting gown for afternoon calls, to a smart outfit for carriage rides and an elegant dinner or evening gown.

For this carefully researched and meticulously rendered paper doll collection, Tom Tierney spotlights the apparel typically worn during the course of such a day, with many outfits patterned after those depicted in such popular Parisian publications as La Mode Illustree, Le Journal des Demoiselle, and Le Moniteur de Dames at de demoiselles.Two dolls, accompanied by "dress improvers" or bustles, are ready to be dressed in a hunting costume with an above-the-ankle skirt and a masculine jacket, a summer outfit of thin muslin, a high-necked town dress of velvet edged in fur, a seaside promenade costume of linen with finely pleated flounces, ball gowns edged in lace and ruffled, an outfit with a sash of orange blossoms, and other spectacular creations.Paper doll enthusiasts will treasure this magnificent collection, and students of costume design and fashion history will find it invaluable.

Original Dover (2001) publication. 2 dolls and 26 full-color costumes on 16 plates. Notes. 9 1/4" x 12 1/4". Paperbound. By Tom Tierney. Click image for free printable paper doll.