Object: Dress
Date: c. 1855
Medium: Grey silk taffeta with blue, white and green brocade and ribbon
Country: USA
Credit Line: Museum purchase
Object number: P86.66.6
DescriptionDress in grey silk taffeta with blue, white and olive green brocaded stripes and coordinating ribbon trim; round neck, diagonal darts, fringed ball buttons CF; 3/4 length pagoda or bell sleeves; full cartridge pleated skirt with three striped ruffle tiers
Label Text:Skirts widened throughout the 1850s, emphasized by fashionable tiered flounces. Such details could also speak to a woman’s social position. According to Godey’s Ladies Book (1855), “A handsome flounced dress is always more expensive . . . ladies of ample fortune are apt to give preference to what only a limited number can afford.” Fashion journals and etiquette handbooks were important resources for upwardly mobile bourgeoisie to navigate the evolving social landscape.
Exhibitions:
- Head to Toe