Browsing through the ladies' magazines on Google Books has brought me to the following conclusions:

Peterson's Magazine is superior to other magazines because it has lots of pictures and very nice illustrations and pattern diagrams. The London and Paris Ladies' Magazine of Fashion is superior to Peterson's Magazine, because it has lots of pictures in COLOR.

That's about it. I love pictures. Screw words, gimme line drawings.

( Amazing teal dress from The London & Paris Ladies' Fashion Magazine (1881) )

I don't usually like the pannier style that pops up around 1880, but this is an exception. (Panniers being the way the skirt is gathered up over the hips.) I love the way this is trimmed, and that the trim looks like leopard spotted fabric. I know it's probably a floral, but it really looks like leopard spots, and that's hilarious. And it's got a kicky little train. And it's teal! How can I not love that?

It kind of looks like she's pooing the bustle in the back view, though, and that's not very nice.

EDIT: Found another dress, this time a burgundy and pink number.

( Oh, Victorian color sense, you shall never be seen again )

EDIT EDIT: Found another, had to share.

( Oh, delicious red embroidery on a white dress )

This post is really for my own reference than anything else, since I know I'm going to be too lazy to look this up again on Google Notebook.

So, I discovered last night that Google Books has a bunch of ladies' magazines and handwork manuals from the 19th century. I've saved many knitting/crocheting manuals to my library, which I've no idea how to link to. This might take you there. Most of them are from the 1840s, when there appears to have been a boom in the printing of handwork manuals. Surprise, surprise, one of the knitting patterns includes a gauge measurement. I gasped, and then promptly forgot what book it was out of.

Anyway, beneath the cut, find a pattern for a mantle from 1859, from "The What-not; or Ladies' handy-book."

EDIT: Found another fashion plate to share, this time of a "casaque pelisse." It's really more the hat that I was drawn to, which is pretty heavily decorated on the outside. She looks like she has spaniel ears!

( 1859 Mantle )

The What-Not has some other fashion plates in it, too, but they're pretty spread out. The fashion sections are on pages 20, 41, 67, 91, 116, 137, 164, 188, 211 (or 215), 266, 290, and 314.