Two-piece dress
c. 1860
Plaid silk taffeta and black velvet
Museum purchase
Object numberP88.14.5
The fashionable body during the mid-19th century had a corseted hourglass shape. Voluminous, bell-shaped skirts, at their widest around 1860, served to make the waist appear even smaller. The expansive skirts were supported by hoop undergarments, called cage crinolines.
DescriptionTwo-piece dress in tan, white, and black plaid silk taffeta; round neck semi-fitted bodice with black velvet buttons, pagoda sleeves; matching skirt with layered box pleatsCollections
Exhibitions