This April 1854 issue of Godey’s Lady’s Book showcases the celebrated periodical’s blend of fashion, fiction, and domestic guidance. Its hand-colored fashion plates display the gowns, bonnets, and accessories favored by fashionable American women, while its pages offer stories, music, and needlework designs.
Long edited by Sarah Josepha Hale, Godey’s was a tastemaker that reached households across the United States. Its detailed fashion plates remain invaluable to costume historians studying mid-nineteenth-century dress. A rich snapshot of antebellum style and domestic culture, this issue is available here as a free EPUB download.