. . "This dress is typical of women's fashions of the mid-1840s. It has long, tight sleeves, a high, round neck and long, pointed waistline. It is made of silk satin in a tartan pattern. Tartan fabrics were very fashionable in the 1840s, thanks partly to the continuing popularity of Walter Scott's historical novels, set in Scotland. Queen Victoria (ruled 1837-1901) had just acquired a royal residence at Balmoral, Scotland, and set the fashion for all things Scottish."@en . .