This 1919 private photograph captures an intriguing example of "Fancy Dress"—an early 20th-century term for costume parties that were popular for fundraising, community festivals, or private entertainment.
The Floral Outfits
The women are sporting avant-garde costumes designed to resemble flower baskets or perhaps flower pots.
Construction: The outfits use voluminous, bulbous structures at the hips to mimic the shape of a vessel. The lady on the right even has a thin, curved "handle" extending over her head, completing the basket look.
Fabric and Detail: The garments are made from heavy, printed fabric with large-scale floral patterns, consistent with late Edwardian and early Art Deco floral motifs.
The Silhouette: These "barrel" or "basket" shapes were a playful, exaggerated take on the changing silhouettes of the late 1910s, moving away from restrictive corsetry toward more experimental forms.
Historical Context
Around 1919, fancy dress was a common way for women to express creativity outside of standard fashion. Similar floral-themed costumes were often seen in "Floral Fundraisers" or community pageants where participants would dress as specific blooms or gardening elements. The small dimensions (5 x 6.5 cm) suggest this was a personal snapshot, likely kept as a memento of a social gathering or a local parade.
What's particularly striking is their serious expressions paired with such whimsical attire, a common hallmark of early photography where long exposure times or the formality of the occasion often led to a "stiff" pose despite the fun nature of the costume.