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Collections

Woman's Dress (Bodice and Skirt)circa 1855

Not on view
Mid-19th-century women's dress on a mannequin, cobalt blue and silver-white brocade with a full skirt, white lace collar, and undersleeves
Mid-19th-century day dress displayed on a mannequin, featuring a voluminous skirt and bodice in blue and silver woven floral brocade, with white lace collar, white undersleeves, and a ruffled white cap.
Detail of a mid-19th-century dress on a mannequin; cobalt blue and white printed cotton fabric with bold floral pattern, layered with a white eyelet lace collar and matching lace-trimmed cuffs, full gathered sleeves against a dark gray background.
Textile with draped, lustrous surface featuring a dense floral pattern of royal blue flowers and broad leaves against a white ground, with delicate paisley and lace-like motifs in blue and white.
Printed textile with an allover pattern of bold cobalt blue flowers, broad leaves, and paisley motifs on a pale lavender ground, with fine dotted lace-like detailing throughout.
Woven textile with a dense floral pattern in deep cobalt blue and ivory, featuring large blooms, jagged leaves, and paisley motifs arranged in a repeating botanical design.
Needle or bobbin lace fragment laid over cobalt blue fabric, featuring white floral and botanical motifs with a central oval medallion surrounded by large blossoms and pointed leaves, worked in fine dot-outlined patterns.
Textile fragment with blue and white woven pattern featuring large paisley forms, floral sprays, and dotted lacework-style borders; visible wear and patching along edges.
Title
Woman's Dress (Bodice and Skirt)
Place Made
France
Date Made
circa 1855
Medium
Silk plain weave with supplementary weft-float patterning, silk satin, and silk ribbon trim
Dimensions
Center back length (Bodice): 14 1/8 in. (35.88 cm) Center back length (Skirt): 48 1/2 in. (123.19 cm)
Credit Line
Purchased with funds provided by Suzanne A. Saperstein and Michael and Ellen Michelson, with additional funding from the Costume Council, the Edgerton Foundation, Gail and Gerald Oppenheimer, Maureen H. Shapiro, Grace Tsao, and Lenore and Richard Wayne
Accession Number
M.2007.211.29a-b
Classification
Costumes
Collecting Area
Costume and Textiles
Curatorial Notes

The simple but dramatic lines of this two-piece dress are designed to show off the lacelike patterned silk. The sweep of the bell-shaped skirt is echoed in the pagoda sleeves (named for the Asian tiered tower), which open to reveal detachable undersleeves. The triangular shape of the heavily boned bodice tapering into a deep point at the waist mirrors the crinoline-supported skirt, making the 22-inch waistline appear even smaller.

Selected Bibliography
  • Takeda, Sharon Sadako and Kaye Durland Spilker. Fashioning Fashion: Deux Siècles de Mode Européenne, 1700-1915. Paris: Arts Décoratifs; Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich; New York: Delmonico Books-Prestel, 2013.
  • Takeda, Sharon Sadako and Kaye Durland Spilker. Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700-1915. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich; New York: Delmonico Books/Prestel, 2010.
  • Takeda, Sharon Sadako and Kaye Durland Spilker. Fashioning Fashion: Europäische Moden, 1700-1915. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich; New York: Prestel, 2012.

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  • Jennifer Iacovelli