Object: Afternoon dress
Date: c. 1821
Medium: Multicolor cotton and green wool braid
Country: England
Credit Line: Museum purchase
Object number: P83.32.2
DescriptionDress and matching pelerine or capelet in green, yellow, red and white zigzag patterned cotton print and green wool braid; wide round neck with ruched trim, raised waist; long puffed sleeves with ruffle and trim; full length skirt with rows of corded edged ruffles at hem; matching shoulder-length capelet with roll collar, CF points, braid
Label Text:By the 1820s, multicolor, patterned garments had begun to replace the gossamer white of the century's first decade, due in large part to new developments in printing technology. Textile manufacturers were able to mechanize and economize production using engraved rollers rather than traditional wood blocks or copper plates. This dress, with its soft-colored zigzag pattern embellished by ruffles and braid, is very much a transitional piece that illustrates the move from the neoclassical mode to the more romantic styling of the 1820s and 1830s. From the previous decade, the dress retains the elevated waist. Other features - the blousy sleeve and the pelerine collar - are fashion points that would become increasingly prevalent and exaggerated in the 1830s.
Exhibitions:
- Fashion & Textile History Gallery First Rotation
- Eco-Fashion: Going Green