Medium: Silk damask

Date: c. 1775

Country: England

Credit: Museum purchase

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.

Object Number: 2008.4.1