The Evolution of the 19th Century Gown: A Visual Guide Mimi Matthews 1800 1815 ca. Typical Regency Era Sprigged Mull Dress. Typical of the white cotton high waisted dresses in vogue in the early 1800s. They replaced the more formal gowns from the end of the Magazine of Female Fashions of London and Paris, London, November, 1800, No. 33.1: Evening Dresses, 1800. Two women in evening dress Stock Photo Alamy The Evolution of the 19th Century Gown: A Visual Guide Mimi Matthews