Object: Dress
Date: c. 1898
Medium: Beige silk taffeta, black net, and lace
Country: USA
Credit Line: Gift of Cora Ginsburg
Object number: 86.174.1
DescriptionTwo-piece dress in beige silk taffeta with black net allover; V-necked boned bodice has lace shirred to CF, CB points, 3/4 length puffed sleeves; matching gored skirt has back fullness, lace tucks at hem
Label Text:This dress has a waist measurement of approximately 31 inches when corseted, further demonstrating that not all 19th-century women had 18-inch “wasp waists.” However, the full sleeves and skirt do, by comparison, create an illusion of a narrower waist, giving the wearer a fashionable hourglass silhouette.
Exhibitions:
- The Body: Fashion and Physique