Princess In A Flowing Ball Gown Surrounded By Stars Coloring Page

A princess stands at the center of this page in a gown with an enormous sweeping skirt, the kind that falls in long smooth panels from a fitted waist. The neckline sits off the shoulder, a small tiara rests in her hair, and her hands are held lightly in front of her. Around her, filling the open space on both sides and above, float eighteen or so stars at every size from a thumbnail down to a pinprick, each one a clean outline.

The skirt is one huge area broken into a few long panels, which makes it forgiving for a child who is still learning to keep a shade even across a big space.

The stars are where the page gets interesting. Running them from pale at the edges to strong near her, or giving the biggest ones one color and the smallest another, turns a scatter into something that looks composed.

A gown like this needed yards of fabric and a structure underneath to hold the shape out. By the 1860s a hooped cage of steel and tape did the work, which was a considerable relief after decades of wearing six petticoats at once.