Abigail

This doll is meant to evoke an American version of the Rococo style made popular in Europe, with its fabulous, feminine frills, bows and curls, towering hair, and skirts that can barely fit through a door (think of the fashions in the movies "Dangerous Liaisons," "Valmont," "The Madness of King George," and "The Scarlet Pimpernel" from the 1980's starring Jane Seymour).

Abigail is a society girl, of a good family from one of the larger cities in the new country, like Boston or New York, in that heady time when the Revolution had concluded, a government was being formed, and life and trade resumed and blossomed. Abigail is decked out in her finest to attend a ball, where her gentleman with fine lace cuffs and velvet frock-coat will sweep off his tri-corn hat and ask for a dance.

The latest fashions from Paris would have been all the rage throughout Europe and America--the alliance with France during the Revolution brought about some cultural exchange with the former colonies, and the extravagant fashions of the court of Louis XVI and Marie Antionette defined Rococo style before the French Revolution brought in a new society and simpler fashion. Dress shops in American cities would have been able to offer (although they would have been several months behind!) catalogs of European fashions and patterns, imported fabrics, and mannequins dressed in the latest styles from abroad or made locally for their clientele to choose from.

Abigail

Abigail's outfit comes in three pieces: an overdress, skirt, and petticoat. The bodice of the overdress has the squared, low-cut neckline of the times; the front of the bodice is a stiffened panel which drops to a low-waisted point in front and is cut higher at the sides and back. The bodice is two-toned: the front piece is in a sprigged lavender cotton material, the sides, sleeves and back in a complementary lavender floral print on a white background. The overskirt, in the floral material, is attached to the bodice, and deeply gathered at the tiny waist, and shirred along the side and in the back, creating a drapery effect over the full skirt of sprigged lavender. Satin ribbon trims the front of the bodice and overskirt, the three-quarter sleeves, and hem of the skirt. Three jaunty bows in lavender satin march down the front of the bodice, while lavender satin flowers trim the overskirt. There is lace at her cuffs and hem of her skirt.

Abigail

Drawings of actual American costumes of 1778-1790:

American costumes of 1778-1790

Abigail

Abigail's accessories include lavender earrings and ring and ribbon choker, as well as purple shoes. Her hair has been styled in a riot of full, fluffy ringlets, topped off with a little gathered-lace "mob-cap" trimmed in a lavender satin rose and ribbons down the back.

Abigail

The style of the time was for very full skirts, with an emphasis on a rather uniform fullness from waist to hem (rather than the long trains or extremely wide hem-lines of later centuries). This was accomplished with petticoats and wire-frame bustles attached on either side of the waist called "panniers," (see the graphic below right for a drawing of a corset with attached pannier frames) creating the almost shelf-like protrusions on the sides peculiar to this period's fashion. For this doll, the same effect has been created with tulle rounding out the petticoat and tulle padding placed under the overskirt at the sides.

Abigail

panniers