Object: Two-piece dress
Date: c. 1859
Medium: Silk ottoman and silk velvet
Country: USA
Credit Line: Museum purchase
Object number: P91.23.3
DescriptionTwo-piece dress with evening bodice, matching skirt, day bodice in dusty rose pink silk ottoman with ivory silk fringe and peach and ivory novelty silk velvet graduating from short to long looped pile; coordinating underskirt in light purple silk taffeta; boned evening bodice has wide decolletage, deep points CF and CB, cream silk net at shoulders; matching three tier skirt has wide novelty velvet trim; day bodice has wide square neckline and large bell sleeves with novelty velvet and heavy ball fringe trims, pointed CF, CB; underskirt has two tiers box pleated to waist
Label Text:This dress is made from a single woven textile that shifts from an ottoman weave into various sizes of looped and cut pile weaves (velvet) that gradually enlarge until they resemble fringe. As innovations such as the jacquard loom and steam power came into industrial use, complex textiles became less expensive.
Exhibitions:
- Luxury
- Force of Nature
- Fabric In Fashion