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ictures of street style for the 19th Century are rare but here’s one I found while looking for material for another project (it always seems to to happen that way).

Yankton, South Dakota, 3d street looking west from Walnut. 1881

What details that can be made out in the picture are interesting in that even though the picture was taken in the middle of Yankton, South Dakota, it’s clear that these two ladies put some effort into their outerwear and the styles match those found with in more opulent locations such as London and Paris. While perhaps not as opulent as this mantle made by the House of Worth, the silhouette is still similar:

It’s a pity that the women in the picture are far from the camera and that there’s not a lot of detail that can be discerned but it’s still fascinating because the women are well dressed even in 1881 South Dakota.