Godey’s Magazine and Lady’s Book, published in Philadelphia, was very popular in the mid-late 19th century. It was advertised in the Pulaski Citizen. Not only did it contain poetry, articles, and engravings created by prominent writers and other artists of the time, it included a hand-tinted fashion plate.

These now provide a record of the progression of women’s dress. The ladies of Giles County would have had the chance to purchase fashions such as those shown from the magazine that was mailed just before the opening of Antoinette Hall in December 1868. Local merchants made annual buying trips to Philadelphia to acquire clothing and fabrics for the new season each year.