Object: Robe à l'anglaise
Designer:
Anna Maria Garthwaite
(died 1763)
Date: c. 1775
Medium: Silk damask
Country: England
Credit Line: Museum purchase
Object number: 2008.4.1
DescriptionDress of red silk damask with woven flower and fruit pattern: closed robe à l'anglaise; fitted bodice; stitched down pleats at CB bodice; fitted elbow length sleeve; full skirt
Label Text:The silhouette of this dress is enhanced by the fabric's rich color and vibrant pattern - a sumptuous display of fruit and flowers. The fabric was designed by Anna Maria Garthwaite, an important English textile designer and the only woman known to have worked in Spitalfields, a silk-weaving center in London. Garthwaite was a prolific designer whose work became synonymous with the Spitalfields style. The original drawing for this textile design is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Exhibitions:
- Arbiters of Style
- Force of Nature