Medium: Ivory wool and silk taffeta

Date: c. 1880

Country: USA

Credit: Museum purchase

Ivory, open-weave wool and contrasting vertical, brown taffeta ribbon and buttons comprise the finely-tailored appearance of this afternoon dress. Although rendered in a masculine, tailored style, the cuirass bodice, form-fitting and long-waisted, would not have afforded the woman who wore it an equivalent range of motion. The elaborately draped skirt, its fullness pulled to the rear and trimmed with pleated ruffles, contrasts the clean lines of the bodice and corseted waist. Such garments made fashionable walking outfits suitable for a wide range of activities, including shopping, visiting, and afternoon socializing. The French painter, James Tissot, depicts a similar dress in his paintings Festivities Aboard Ship (1874) and Reading the News (1874).

Object Number: P86.66.1