… became ornamented at the bottom- with scallops, early versions of rick-rack, braids, and other interesting trims.
Some day dresses like the one shown had flounces on the bodice too. It was not unusual to have 2-3 flounces on the bodice, and 2-5 flounces. on the skirt in the late 1840’s like the 1845 day dress shown here.