Afternoon dress 185055 American The female silhouette of the middle of the 19th century consisted of a fitted corseted bodice and wide full skirts. The conical skirts developed between the 1830s, when Dress American The Metropolitan Museum of Art In the mid 19th century, women's fashion was defined by an era of dramatic silhouettes and romantic Victorian ideals. This period saw the peak of the bell shaped silhouette, made possible by the invention Woman in costume of Seville, Spain, 19th century. Hair in ringlets, a short jacket with open collar, and high waisted skirt. Handcoloured copperplate engraving by Georges Jacques Gatine after an illustration by Louis