LACMA

ShopMembershipMyLACMATickets
LACMA
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@lacma.org
(323) 857-6000
Sign up to receive emails
Subscribe
© Museum Associates 2026
  • About LACMA
  • Jobs
  • Building LACMA
  • Host An Event
  • Unframed
  • Press
  • FAQs
  • Log in to MyLACMA
  • Privacy Policy
© Museum Associates 2026
Collections

Woman’s Dresscirca 1820

Not on view
Historical costume on a white mannequin: white empire-waist dress with yellow ribbon trim, paisley and gold scroll hem borders, and a draped golden yellow shawl
Fashion display on a white mannequin: early 19th-century white muslin gown with empire waist, puffed sleeves, and yellow trim at neckline and hem, paired with a yellow shawl featuring brown paisley border draped over both arms.
White dress displayed on a mannequin, early 19th-century Empire silhouette with puffed short sleeves, yellow trim at neckline and hem, wide satin waistband, and a yellow shawl with paisley-bordered ends draped over both arms.
Close-up of cream net fabric with bold yellow embroidered border featuring scrolling floral motifs, leaf forms, and a geometric zigzag edge, with gathered mesh pleats visible above.
Close-up detail of a white sheer lace garment with puffed sleeves and ruffled trim, accented by bright yellow satin ribbon edging at the neckline and bodice seams, displayed on a white dress form.
Title
Woman’s Dress
Place Made
France
Date Made
circa 1820
Medium
Cotton gauze and cotton bobbin net with wool embroidery and silk satin trim
Dimensions
Center back length: 51 in. (129.54 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.2007.211.18
Classification
Costumes
Collecting Area
Costume and Textiles
Curatorial Notes

When viewed from afar, this dress appears to be made from popular lightweight plain-weave muslin. However, closer examination identifies it as gauze, a loosely woven open-mesh fabric created when two or more vertical warp elements are twisted around each other and locked in place by the insertion of a horizontal weft element. A complementary bobbin-net flounce draws attention down toward the hem, where a stylized Neoclassical pattern embroidered in wool reinforces the ancient inspiration for this garment.

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.

Related Unframed

Related Unframed

50 Works 50 Weeks: Robe à l’anglaise Ensemble
50 Works 50 Weeks: Robe à l’anglaise Ensemble
  • December 2, 2025
  • Costume and Textiles Department
Behind the Scenes of Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse
Behind the Scenes of Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse
  • September 23, 2022
  • Jonathan Urban
The Queer Imagination and Fiercely Feminine Designs of Lee Alexander McQueen
The Queer Imagination and Fiercely Feminine Designs of Lee Alexander McQueen
  • June 25, 2022
  • Lilia Destin
This Week at LACMA
This Week at LACMA
  • April 24, 2022
  • Editors
This Week at LACMA
This Week at LACMA
  • April 17, 2022
  • Editors
2021 Summer Getty Marrow Intern in Conservation: Internship Summary
2021 Summer Getty Marrow Intern in Conservation: Internship Summary
  • October 12, 2021
  • Madison Brockman, Izik Vu
Behind-the-Scenes in Costume and Textiles—PACMA Edition: Part 2
Behind-the-Scenes in Costume and Textiles—PACMA Edition: Part 2
  • June 24, 2020
  • Jennifer Iacovelli
Make Art @ Home—Resist Dyeing in Your Kitchen
Make Art @ Home—Resist Dyeing in Your Kitchen
  • June 11, 2020
  • Staphany Cheng
Behind-the-Scenes in Costume and Textiles—PACMA Edition
Behind-the-Scenes in Costume and Textiles—PACMA Edition
  • April 8, 2020
  • Madeleine Heppermann, Rachel Tu
This Weekend at LACMA
This Weekend at LACMA
  • November 2, 2018
  • Victor Guzman
Reinventing the Women’s Uniform: A Fashion Design Masterclass with Jason Wu, MADWORKSHOP, and LACMA
Reinventing the Women’s Uniform: A Fashion Design Masterclass with Jason Wu, MADWORKSHOP, and LACMA
  • October 15, 2018
  • Michaela Hansen
LACMA Goes to the Getty: Costume on Loan to "Icons of Style"
LACMA Goes to the Getty: Costume on Loan to "Icons of Style"
  • July 17, 2018
  • Melinda Webber Kerstein
Recent Costume and Textiles Department Acquisitions: Costume Council Fund
Recent Costume and Textiles Department Acquisitions: Costume Council Fund
  • February 12, 2018
  • Costume and Textiles Department
Restoring LACMA’s New Vicente Albán Paintings from Ecuador
Restoring LACMA’s New Vicente Albán Paintings from Ecuador
  • February 4, 2015
  • Ilona Katzew, Head, Latin American Art, and Joseph Fronek, Head, Paintings Conservation
New Acquisition: 158 Couture Designs, 1880-2008
New Acquisition: 158 Couture Designs, 1880-2008
  • January 9, 2013
Looking Back on Fashioning Fashion
Looking Back on Fashioning Fashion
  • March 25, 2011
  • Scott Tennent
Living in the House of Worth
Living in the House of Worth
  • March 23, 2011
A Major Acquisition in European Fashion
A Major Acquisition in European Fashion
  • January 6, 2009