Description: This cotton day dress is made up of a separate bodice and skirt printed with a matching design of green plants and colourful flowers on the cuffs and bodice. There was a fashion for lightweight printed cotton dresses in the 1860s. The spreading skirts were held out by a cage crinoline, a new light and airy undergarment of hoops of steel, which liberated women from the countless layers of petticoats they had worn previously.