Title: Women's Clothing of the South in the American Civil War - Bellatory
Headings: Women's Clothing of the South in the American Civil War
Women's Clothing of the South in the American Civil War
Hoop Skirts
Before the War—Fashion in The Antebellum South
Fabrics for Southern Well-to-Do
Hair and Accessories
Civil War era woman wearing lace cuffs and collar
Woman With a Parasol
Underwear of the Civl War South
A Young Woman Shows That You Can Sit Down While Wearing a Crinoline Cage (Hoop Skirt)
Clothing of Lower Class Women in the Civil War South
Coarser Fabrics Worn by Lower Classes
Civil War Era woman in print dress with white collar and side curls
Civil War era woman wearing bonnet with a large bow
Women's Hats of the Civil War Era
Older woman wearing a cap
Tips on Making a Civil War or Antebellum Costume
Belle Boyd—Confederate Spy
Civil War Era Seamstress
For Further Reading
Questions & Answers
© 2011 Dolores Monet
Comments

Content: Poor people, laborers, the lower class, and enslaved people generally wore clothing made of tough, durable fabric. Their clothing was less tailored and embellished than the garments of the elite. Enslaved women who worked inside the home dressed in more up-to-date, more tailored and embellished garments than those who worked outdoors. A wrapper was a loose, one piece dress that was gathered and pleated from neck to hem and belted for shape often with an apron. Low, wide shoulders with wide sleeves gathered at the wrist. Wrappers were worn by working women, lower class women, rural women, and for household chores. A women of moderate substance wore a wrapper made of a better fabric. pinterest-pin-it
Enslaved woman wearing bonnet, cape, and apron
US Gov. archival photo
pinterest-pin-it
Civil War Era woman in print dress with white collar and side curls
US Gov. archival photo
pinterest-pin-it
Civil War era woman wearing bonnet with a large bow
US Gov. archival photo
Women's Hats of the Civil War Era
Hats were commonly worn during Victorian times and were a necessity for women of the south. Wide brimmed hats protected the face, neck, and eyes from the sun. Wearing a hat was seen as a respectable practice and worn for proprietary as well as for looks and style.