Clara's Victorian Play Dress

Victorian fashion in the 1850s is generally dominated by the crinoline, sometimes known as a hoop skirt. (Clara has a Victorian Crinoline here.) However, large skirts would not be practical for a little girl to wear every day. Clara’s Victorian play dress is more useable and less fragile than a dress-up gown. The dress is a nice design with box pleats on the bodice, a full skirt, and butterfly sleeves.

Clara’s boots are a little awkward in style, due to a funny trait: there is no left or right foot. Both shoes are exactly alike and could be worn on either foot. Shoes such as these, known as “straight soles” were made for several hundred years beginning in the 1600s and continuing through the end of the 1800s. "Straight soles" were less expensive than pairs of shoes made for the right and left feet.

Clara today also has a nice summer bonnet. Bonnets were very popular in Europe and in America. In fact, they were the most popular kind of headgear in the 1800s. The wide ribbon was very popular in the 1850s, and was often a color that contrasted with the dress worn.

The original dress was an ivory wool with little green leaves. The original boots were blue with black toes. The original hat was in a vintage photo, so the colors are unknown.

You may also be interested to know that along with white, ivory, and gray, these were some of the popular colors for clothing in the 1850s:


To print Clara's Dress, use this PDF file:
Clara's Dress 14 (595k)

Clara is a free, printable paper doll. Clara will be available on this blog as long as I continue to post new fashion pages for her. You can read the introduction for the Clara paper doll here.

To print the Clara paper doll, use this PDF file:

The Clara Paper Doll (718k)

If you like my paper dolls enough to want to share with others, please email or post a link to my blog rather than sending or posting a copy of the paper dolls. Refer your friends so they can enjoy the free, printable paper dolls on my blog. Please do not post my artwork on your own sites, modify any of the files, or distribute them to others.

Clara's Victorian Ballgown

Clara is ready for a dance in a Victorian dress known as the crinoline. The crinoline is the classic hoop skirt featured in so many little girl's princess drawings. However, a young girl such as Clara would not wear a floor-length gown. A mid-calf skirt length would have been the fashion for a girl her age.

With fine stockings and kid leather shoes to match the dress, Clara will be ready to dance. To complete her outfit, a ribbon hairpiece would be worn over carefully curled ringlets. Clara would not have been old enough to wear her hair up, a style reserved for older girls and women.

The original dress is a thin ivory wool fabric with rust-red velvet ribbon trim on the bodice, waist, and skirt panels. The shoes are a matching ivory kid leather with mother-of-pearl buckles on the bows. The headdress would also be ivory and rust to match the outfit, although the original version of this headdress is ivory and olive green.

Be creative with your coloring. I simply provided the original colors as a reference for the paper doll's outfit. You may also be interested to know that along with white, ivory, and gray, these were some of the popular colors for clothing in the 1850s:



To print Clara's Victorian Ballgown, use this PDF file:
Clara's Dress 2 (632k)

Clara is a free, printable paper doll. Clara will be available on this blog as long as I continue to post new fashion pages for her. You can read the introduction for the Clara paper doll here.

To print the Clara paper doll, use this PDF file:

The Clara Paper Doll (718k)

If you like my paper dolls enough to want to share with others, please email or post a link to my blog rather than sending or posting a copy of the paper dolls. Refer your friends so they can enjoy the free, printable paper dolls on my blog. Please do not post my artwork on your own sites, modify any of the files, or distribute them to others.

Clara's Victorian Half Cape and Dress

Clara is dressed for chilly weather with a beautiful Victorian half-cape, a flowered bonnet, and leather boots. This fashion design is from the 1850s, when the Victorian half cape became popular.

The dress under the cape is a practical day dress. The design is pretty simple, and would be worn for everyday activities.

The boots would be leather, and are beautifully made with scalloped edges. The boots are pretty sturdy, and could be worn everyday as well.

The bonnet completes the ensemble, with silk roses and trim. This hat has a cute ruffle at the bottom, with a beautiful bow that ties under Clara's chin.

The original cape is made of quilted silk in a delicate shade of taupe with an ivory lining. The dress is a dark blue velvet corduroy. The bonnet is made from a matching blue velvet, and trimmed with red and white roses, along with white ruffles. The button-up scalloped edge boots are a medium tan leather.

Be creative with your coloring. I simply provided the original colors as a reference for the paper doll's outfit. You may also be interested to know that along with white, ivory, and gray, these were some of the popular colors for clothing in the 1850s:



To print Clara's Victorian Half Cape and Dress, use this PDF file:
Clara's Dress 1 (631k)

Clara is a free, printable paper doll. Clara will be available on this blog as long as I continue to post new fashion pages for her. You can read the introduction for the Clara paper doll here.

To print the Clara paper doll, use this PDF file:

The Clara Paper Doll (718k)

If you like my paper dolls enough to want to share with others, please email or post a link to my blog rather than sending or posting a copy of the paper dolls. Refer your friends so they can enjoy the free, printable paper dolls on my blog. Please do not post my artwork on your own sites, modify any of the files, or distribute them to others.