A Late 1860s Sheer Bodice

The inside of the bodice. The seams are sewn with backstitches, about 9 per inch. They're left unfinished. However, the fabric has unraveled slightly and the seams are stuck together.

The sleeves are made of two pieces. In the picture on the left, you can see the back sleeve seam. The front sleeve seam, which starts at the point where the armscye starts the underarm, opens at the bottom for a placket for the cuff.

The side seam is almost directly under the center of the sleeve and angled back slightly. This shows most clearly in the picture on the right.

The shoulder and underarm. The fabric used to reinforce the underarm is sewn with into the side seam, shoulder seam and waistband, but is not sewn to the back of the bodice.