How many layers of clothes would a lady in the 1830s have worn?

I'll take a stab at it for you.

I think that the garments worn next to the skin were the drawers (which, I think, were called 'pantalettes'); they were fastened about the waist with tapes or drawstrings, and came down to at least the knee and frequently the ankle, where they were again fastened with tapes or drawstrings. The stockings were held up by tying them with garters. usually just under the knees.

The chemise was a loose, sleeveless garment that went over the upper body, and may have been tucked into the drawers.

Then came the corset or 'stays,' often made of whalebone, which was a bit more flexible than the metal stays known to previous generations. Neither material, though, was particularly comfortable. The corset was fastened in the back with drawstrings, and it required the help of another person to do this. Therefore, women of the working and lower classes, who could not afford a lady's maid to help them dress, often went without corsets.

Then there was the corset cover; a garment similar to the chemise, which, I think, may have hung loose rather than being tucked into the pantalettes.

Next came a petticoat. In the 1830's, the crinoline of the late 1850's and the 1860's had not yet come into vogue, so these were rather like underskirts, again fastened at the waist with drawstrings or tapes.

After all this, the dress was put on.

Makes you appreciate the relative simplicity of modern clothing, doesn't it? :-)