How does one identify a smaller gigot sleeve bodice from say 1893 or 1897 to one from around 1906? Would there be clues in the construction or boning? I have two pieces which I believe to be from the 1890s but I am not sure.
It's not always easy, like platform shoes from the 70s and 90s aren't always easy to tell apart either... Generally, the 1906 versions also have a pouched or fuller bodice front. Then there are the subtler hints. like brown cotton linings are rare by 1906, and when made of silk, 1906 bodices most often use weighted silk, which is evident with splits, whereas weighted silks in the 1890s are not as universal. Then of course its easier to tell if there is also the matching skirt, which in the 90s is more conical and stiffer, whereas 1906 is more often trained, softer, flounced, or gored, and the waistband is sometimes extended quite high. Your second bodice is definitely 1890s, the first one I think is 1906ish.
