Description:
Woman's jacket known as a caraco, made from a red silk decorated with a figured weave. Jackets were an informal and more practical style of dress for women than full-length gowns. Caracos followed the lines of traditional/fashionable gowns of the period, but featuring a hip-length peplum or skirt. Probably first made in the middle of the 18th century, the garment (which may have started out as a full length gown when new) was updated perhaps two decades later, featuring the extreme pointed front and back edges at the hem, reinforced through baleen stays inserted between the fashion fabric and the lining. The garment illustrates the alterations and updating of clothing over time, and is a rare survival of more informal garments for women.

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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2020.17

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