During the Gold Rush-era, late 1840s to mid-1860s, fashion was as important then as it is now. Proper up-to-date fashions were known and respected. Current styles were followed as soon as conditions made it possible, even though it was sometimes a year or two before this could happen in newly settled areas, such as in El Dorado County.

Concern with staying current might mean making a dress up in calico rather than the preferred silk, or remaking an old out-of-date dress in the latest fashion. Dresses in the County Museum's collections were probably first made in the early 1850s, and then adapted to better accommodate the new stylish hoop skirt. A skilled dressmaker could “resurrect any dress by turning, twisting, piecing, contriving, and trimming.” The number of re-worked dresses still surviving is a clear indication of how popular this practice was.

Photographs provide some of the best evidence of what working men and women wore. Gold miners most likely wore work clothes until they were so worn out they were discarded or cut up for rags. In contrast, these fine gowns, the linen suit and child's dress, along with the accessories in the round display case were saved and treasured over the years and eventually donated to the El Dorado County Historical Museum.