Early Empire Underdress

  Petticoats are in this period replaced with the underdress, which creates the still wanted volume of the skirts and the bodies of the underdress hold the skirt in this period typical high waistline. The underdress is made of cotton batiste according the extant underdress dated to the early 19th century located in Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and like this original is trimmed with white cotton embroidery at the lower edge (next photo).