1809 September Mother and Daughter Mild Mourning Dresses, English. “Our plate will be found to represent a lady and her infant in slight mourning habits: the former composed of black gossamer net, or imperial gauze, worn over a white satin slip. A half train. A round frock front, and short French sleeves, each edged with a rich Vandyke lace. A cestus, or belt, of white satin edged with gold bullion and finished in front with a rich cord and cone tassels, suspended from topaz studs. Pearl necklace and bracelets, with topaz snaps. Hair in the eastern style, with a Spartan diadem, and comb of topaz or gold. Circassian scarf of grey Spanish silk with a Tuscan border in black embroidery, tassels to correspond, confined on one shoulder with a topaz broach. Shoes of grey satin, with clasps of jet, or rosettes of black bugles. White gloves of French kid; and fan of black crape, with gold spangled devices.
‘In deep mourning, this robe should be formed of black crape, and worn over black sarsnet. The ornaments and trimmings of every description must be of bugles or jet. The shoes of queen’s silk. The scarf, black crape or imperial silk, spotted and bordered with bugles. Jet tassels and broach.
The child’s dress is a simple frock of black crape muslin, tucked small, and worn over a cambric skirt. A plain net-lace tucker, and cap to match. Grey kid slippers, with black clasps.’ Fashion Plate via Rudolph Ackermann’s ‘The Repository’ of Arts.

Because many men across Europe were fighting in wars during these years, women often had a reason to dress in black. The loss of numerous family members and friends meant that black was a mainstay in any lady’s wardrobe. Black dresses, hats, capes, shoes, gloves, fans and jewelry would have been essentials, with touches of white, grey or purple being added for times of half mourning.  Early publications of Rudolph Ackermann’s ‘The Repository of Arts’ had many fashion plates that included children, but the plate below with a child in ’slight’ mourning dress is very unusual. With this fashion plate is a description of how this ’slight’ mourning could be adapted for deep mourning. 

Fabrics for deep mourning would be flat, rather than shiny, hats would be black with little embellishment, and jewelry would be subdued. Slight mourning allowed the white dress trimming, white gloves and these grey satin shoes.  

Definition Van Dyke: V-shaped lace and trims named after a 17th Century Flemish painter, Sir Anthony Van Dyck, known for painting V-shaped lace collars and scalloped edges on sitters.