Until I started looking into whether the bodice of Maddie’s dress should be lined or unlined, I didn’t know Sheer Dresses were a “thing”.
I mean, I knew there were sheer dresses. I just didn’t know they were officially their own category within Civil War fashion. Go figure!
In the painting above, the subject is referred to as a girl, and she’s wearing what appears to be very similar to the adult versions of sheer dresses I found on Pinterest. Notice how the bodice lining dips, leaving the shoulders technically covered, but basically bare.
A style like this makes perfect sense in the summer heat. On the other hand, I’ve never seen an enfantine doll dress in this style. So I’m still wavering about Maddie’s bodice lining.
In the meantime, I did find THIS article about sheer Civil War dresses very interesting. Maybe you will too.