Throughout the mid 19th century (1840s-1860s), pink was a popular color for both women and girls. Here I’ve posted plates from as early as 1846 up through 1962. In Happy Birthday, Kirsten!, our main character wears a pink and white short sleeve dress, with a raised hemline, both typical of a child or young teen’s silhouette. I’ll be going into more depth with style details and fabric in future posts but for now, think pink!

Girl’s Dress C 1845, Toddler Dress Close Up, 1830-1850s, Jumeau Doll Dress 1842-1856, toddler’s pink gingham dress 1860

clockwise from top left: Le moniteur de la mode 1846, le follet 1862, journal des demoiselles 1848, le bon ton1855

Here are a few more extant pink styles, both for women and girls. These have been a huge inspiration for how I can interpret Kirsten’s dress into an adult style!