1890 Cabinet Card-Cute-Stunning Girl in \"New Woman\" Outfit-Bryant Indianapolis For Sale

The attire worn by this young woman is highly revealing of the mid-to-late 1890s fashion trends, a period when women\'s clothing took a dramatic turn toward structured, masculine-tailored silhouettes.

Here is a breakdown of what makes her top garment so fascinating:

What looks like a modern suit or jacket/shirt combination reflects the \"tailor-made\" suit trend that exploded in popularity during the 1890s. Driven by the emergence of the active, independent \"New Woman\" (and the bicycle craze), women increasingly adopted menswear-inspired fashions. Her outfit features a heavy outer jacket with wide lapels worn over a highly structured bodice or vest-front.

The garment features a very stiff, high band collar that fits snugly against the neck, with a tiny sliver of a white collar lining peeking out at the very top. In the 1890s, daytime etiquette strictly required a woman\'s neck to be entirely covered. These collars were often reinforced with whalebone or stiff buckram to maintain their rigid shape.

Running down the center of her chest is a striking vertical row of closely spaced, polished metallic dome buttons (or decorative studs).

• In the late-Victorian era, tightly spaced buttons were both functional and highly decorative.

• Because corsets created a completely rigid, flat torso, bodices could handle a dense line of heavy fasteners down the front without puckering or pulling the fabric.

Right at the throat, just below the collar, she is wearing a distinctive horizontal collar pin or lace brooch (featuring a circular center flanked by geometric, diamond-shaped wings). It was customary to place a prominent brooch exactly at the center of a high collar to anchor the look and add a touch of feminine elegance to an otherwise severe, tailored outfit.

Combined with her short, tightly curled hair and the deep teal card stock with gold script (a mounting style that peaked between 1894 and 1898), her garment perfectly encapsulates the bold, progressive style of a fashionable young woman at the close of the 19th century.