… is associated with our vision of the Victorian era. This is part of the demure and delicate image desired in the early part of the queen’s reign.
The boned bodice of 1845 with its very elongated “v” shape, plus the drooping shoulder seam line meant that women’s arm movements were restricted. This meant the woman not only appeared to be helpless, but that she pretty much actually WAS helpless.
(Portrait: 1845 delicate print, ringlets, looong inverted “v” waistlines, and sleeves that dropped low and were tight on the arms meant a fashionable woman could do little but sit around and look sweet)