Real Shady Ladies

I have spent the last few years trying to figure out what shady ladies really did wear back in the 1870s-1900s.  Contrary to popular belief, they did not dress like Miss Kitty on Gunsmoke. You know the costume - slutty can-can girl with a cheesy feather boa and cheap satin skirt that's far too short or slit up to her navel. No, the Victorian dance hall girl/saloon girl/actress wore something a bit different.

These are the costumes that I try to copy, at least to some extent. The last girl always makes me think maybe she isn't happy in her chosen profession, or that she didn't care for the photographer. Whatever the case may be, it's a unique picture, from her pose to her clothing to her attitude. And bare knees! How scandalous.