Just to add and also to confirm on the date of the first image being from the 1870's.
The subject's hair is off the forehead and taken back towards the crown and the back of the head leaving the ears uncovered, where it has been put into a Chignon, due to the lowness of this where it is on the nape of the neck it then is termed as being in a Catagan style. She only has two pieces of jewellery that I can see these being what would appear to be be dropped earrings and a brooch. Her Bodice would have had a dropped shoulder seam, which because of the small shawl that she sports can not be seen. The sleeves of the bodice it self are "coat sleeves" which have no overal design shape to them stopping short of the wrist and having a single button at what would be the cuff, however this area is extended an inch or so by the inclusion of some lace work which then takes this to the wrist. The skirt, seperate from the bodice, is typical of the era with a sweep from the waist to the hem, which falls just above the floor and in line with the toe of the footwear, above the hem can be seen the "frilling" of the skirt sometimes this is only one line of material other times it can be two, three or more. The skirt also has fabric dropping down from the waist, both front and back, which gives the skirt its name of being an "apron skirt" (the fabric at the back, which one can just make out, is known as a peplum and in todays fashion both front and back go by that name). As Jim has alsready said, the hankerchief would be of lace and I would not put to much store on the fact that she is holding it because of mourning. Photographers were, at this time, getting the sitter to hold things be it a book, glasses or in this case a hankerchief. I would also not put too much on the fact that she is standing next to an empty chair, which by the way is a Jacobian revival chair with barley twist back supports, an over the top decorative splat and turned stetchers again typical of the date given by Jim & Gadget, it did happen that chairs were used in the fashion that Frank has described but again I feel that in this instance the chair has been utilised more as a prop by the photographer to even the image out and also to lend some support to the subect (not forgetting that due to the exposure time one had to stay stock still.
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