Empress Eugenie and her Ladies display late 1860s style with the fullness in the back and a natural waistline for the year 1869. The Princess Ghika, second from left, was a Romanian writer known as Dora d'Istria. The Duchess of Sesto is, according to nobleyreal.blogspot, the Duquesa de Alburquerque y de Sesto, née Sofía Troubetzkoy, previously the Duchesse de Morny.
From eBay.
The Illustrated London News ran this print in January 1870 with the following captions that run simply from left to right: 1. Robe of jonquil colored satin, the under jupe festooned and bordered with a lace flounce. Over the upper jupe, which, together with the low corsage, is trimmed with white lace, is worn a lace pardessus, ornamented with pale blue satin bows.
2. Princess Ghika — Simple robe of blue tarletan, trimmed with a deep flounce, surmounted by boullions. Coiffure of blueflowers and green leaves. Large pearl necklace.
3. Duchess de Sesto — Robe of white satin; under jupe of white tulle, trimmed with plissés and bows of white satin, and with garlands of white daisiesand green ivy leaves. The back of the robe, including the long train, is veiled with tulle, and large tulle sleeves fall from the satin sleeves of the corsage, which is elaborately trimmed with daisied, ivy leaves and lace. The coiffure is composed of marnbout feathers, secured by a pearl and diamond buckle, together with a wreath of daisies. The pearl necklace has an emerald in the center.
4. Robe of violet satin, trimmed with a double row of boullions. Pardessus of darker violet velvet, together with train of striped velvet combining the two shades of violet, trimmed with black lace.
5. Empress Eugénie — Robe of pale salmon colored satin, with fluted flounce, trimmed up the skirt with three rows of boullions of silver spangled tarletan. Corsage of satin, trimmed with rows of white lace. Tunic of white watered silk bordered with floss silk fringe. Coiffure composed of a diamond brooch posed in the center of a blue velvet bow.
6. Princess de Metternich — Black satin robe, trimmed with lace and ornamented with bouquets of carnations and variegated pinks and leaves. Low black satin corsage, trimmed with lace to correspond. Necklace of diamonds.
7. Countess de Pourtalès — Robe likewise of black satin, trimmed with a rich fringe strung with with jet ornaments and looped up to form a bouffant behind by a band of blue velvet on which a garland of pink roses is posed. The shoulders are ornamented with bows and roses to match. The train, which is composed of bands of black velvet on satin, is bordered all round with black lace. The gauze under jupe is trimmed with black lace and black satin bows relieved with jet. The coiffure consists of a diamond aigrette, together with several diamond stars. Diamond necklace and earrings.
8. Train of rose-colored gauze over a robe of blue satin. Coiffure, a coronet of daisies.
9. Robe of rose colored satin, ornamented with lace flounces. Train of white tulle, trimmed with lace. Blue satin sash, fastening behind with a large bow; smaller satin bows fixed at each shoulder. Coiffure of small blue flowers.
10. Robe a traine of tulle over a yellow satin jupe trimmed with flounces at the bottom. Corsage of yellow satin trimmed with tulle. Sash of rose colored ribbon. Coiffure composed of a velvet bow of the same color sparkline with diamonds."
According to Boucher, 20,000 Years of Fashion, p.383 (1987 ed.) the crinoline era ended in 1866 when women wore simple petticoat-skirts with wide ruffles at the foot to Longchamps. I refer to the mechanical skirt supports as "crinolines" in the keywords. The mechanical supports were called "crinolettes" at the time.
The Lady in the dark dress in the foreground is wearing a distinct, identifiable bustle.
Keywords: Empress Eugenie, Sophie Trubetzkaya, Comtesse Melanie de Pourtalès, Empress, Bonaparte family, Trubetzkoi family, Beauharnais family, Pourtalès family, French, Lady-in-Waiting, long curly coiffure, feathered headdress, tiara, off shoulder vee neckline, off shoulder scoop neckline, cap sleeves, engageantes, crinolette, bustle, ruffles, train, bows, necklace, earrings, bracelets