Most Victorian women's magazines ran monthly fashion features. Some, like the American magazines Godey's Lady's Book and Peterson's Magazine, were famous for their hand-tinted fashion plates. Others, like the British Cassell's Family Magazine and Girl's Own Paper, remained strictly black-and-white. These features, by the way, weren't just to give ladies ideas about what gowns to buy. Most of them offered information on how to obtain the patterns for the fashions depicted. (In fact, Demorest Magazine evolved out of a pattern-making company.) You would then either take the pattern to your dressmaker (if you could afford one) or create the dress yourself. This section brings you a host of monthly fashion guides from Britain and America. (Note that some of these are very large files.)

Cassell's Family Magazine - 1875-1896

1875 • 1876 • 1877 • 1878 • 1879 • 1880 • 1881 • 1882 • 1883 • 1884 • 1885 • 1886 • 1887 • 1888 • 1889 • 1890 • 1891 • 1892 • 1893 • 1894 • 1895 • 1896

 Court Magazine - January-June 1834

Demorest Monthly Magazine

Full-year collections: 1873 • 1879 • 1880

Monthly collections: October 1872 • January, March, July 1874 • November 1882 • January 1884 • November 1885 • April, September 1886 • October 1887 • January, June, August 1888 • April 1889 • August 1894 • May 1896

 English Illustrated Magazine, 1899: Fine Feathers, by "Lady Babbie"

The Girl's Own Paper - 1880-1902

1880 • 1881 • 1882 • 1883 • 1884 • 1885 • 1886 • 1887 • 1888 • 1889 • 1890 • 1891 • 1892 • 1893 • 1894 • 1895 • 1896 • 1897 • 1898 • 1899 • 1900 • 1901 • 1902

Godey's Lady's Book

1833 • 1860 • 1863 • 1867 • 1868 • 1873
Godey's Color Fashion Plates for: 1867 • 1868 • 1873

  The Ladies' Home Journal

1892 • 1893 • 1896 • 1898

 Lady's Realm, January-June 1901: London and Paris Fashions, by Mrs. Eric Pritchard

Peterson's Magazine

1856 • 1858 • 1865 • 1866 • 1872 • 1879 • 1883
Peterson's Color Fashion Plates for: 1866 • 1872 • 1879 • 1883

 The Young Ladies' Journal, 1882

Note: This is a very large file, as this was a weekly journal and the file covers one full year. It may take a little while to download!