Description:
Woman's gown or dress consisting of an undyed (natural) plain weave silk overgown or overdress trimmed with off-white lace, and a nonmatching, but similar, embroidered natural silk flounced and embroidered petticoat from another dress. The overdress is cut in the princess style, fitted with vertical bodice seams most visible at the back. One horizontal dart is present at either side of the center front. The long sleeves are slightly bell shaped at the ends, where they are embellished with matching silk embroidery. Sleeves are gathered at the back. Dropped shoulder seams. The overdress bodice secures center front with 13 brass hook and eye closures. This center front tapers in a 'V' shape to waist, and is covered by matching netted lace and vertical pleats. Around the collar, as well as trimming the train part of the bodice is lace or crochet edging. The center back of jacket has three inverted pleats, starting 6.0" below waist area; one center back and one on either side (each of the three comes from one of the three back seams). Inside, each of the inverted pleats utilizes tape to secure the raw edges of the farbic (see also 2007.18, a c.1750 doll's or child's gown, with similar construction detail). Inside bodice is a waistline stay with two hook and eye closures. One boning remains, proper left center front. The long sleeves are gathered/pleated at the top back of each armscye for fullness. At each sleeve cuff are three layers of lace with scalloped edging. The skirt has four flounces down center front, matching that on the sleeve cuffs. Each flounce is graduated in size (largest at bottom extends to back of skirt. The skirt closes center back with two hook and eye closures. Placket is 17 1/2" deep. There is an underskirt attached to bottom flounce. There is wool braid at hem of underskirt. Proper right side, near first flounce, is a pocket. All boning has been removed from the casings inside.
Label Text:
Aesthetic Dress
United States
Ca. 1885
Undyed plain weave silk; netted and embroidered lace; white plain weave cotton lining; brass hook and eye closures; baleen
93.838
Artistic or aesthetic dress was popular in both Europe and America during the 1870s and 1880s. It grew out of the dress reform and pre-Raphaelite movements earlier in the 19th century. Especially focused on women’s clothing, aesthetic dress promoted relatively unstructured, soft clothing whose weight was distributed from the shoulders, rather than at the waist like more mainstream examples. Despite its initial appeal to diverge from fashion, aesthetic dress did conform to popular styles as its appeal spread. The use of natural silk signaled a rejection of artifice and loud (increasingly synthetic) dyes.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+93.838 |
