1-191-617 - © Museum of London/Heritage-Images

The back view of a fashionable day dress, c1875. The skirt drapery is predominantly at the back of the dress where it was supported by a bustle, a false bottom consisting of horsehair pads. This gown was produced under the name of Madame Elise, a dressmaker of Regent Street, who came to public notice in 1863 when one of her seamstresses died as a direct result of dire working conditions.