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Collections

Woman's Dress (Tennis)circa 1885

Not on view
Woman's late 19th-century dress with pink and brown vertical stripes, fitted bodice, back bustle of draped fabric, pleated skirt, and cream lace trim at collar, cuffs, and hem
Late 19th-century woman's dress in cream and brown striped fabric, displayed on a form in three-quarter view; features a high lace collar, small dark buttons down the bodice, fitted waist with sash, draped bustle at the back, lace trim along the overskirt hem, and a pleated underskirt.
Late 19th-century woman's day dress in cream and brown striped fabric, displayed on a form in three-quarter view; fitted bodice with high lace collar and button front, voluminous bustle bow at the back, tiered skirt with lace-trimmed hem.
Close-up detail of a historic textile garment in cream fabric with narrow red and green stripes, showing gathered panels, a laced opening with ribbon ties, and a brown lining beneath.
Detail photograph of a 19th-century woman's dress on a form, cream fabric with red and black vertical stripes, fitted bodice with small dark buttons, wide waistband, gathered skirt with cream lace trim at the hip.
Detail of a historic dress in cream fabric with fine red vertical stripes, showing elaborately draped and gathered fabric at the shoulder and upper sleeve, with cream lace trim along the lower edge.
Title
Woman's Dress (Tennis)
Place Made
England
Date Made
circa 1885
Medium
Cotton plain weave, printed, with cotton lace trim
Dimensions
Center back length (Dress): 50 1/2 in. (128.27 cm) Length (Belt): 28 1/2 in. (72.39 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.2007.211.782a-b
Classification
Costumes
Collecting Area
Costume and Textiles
Curatorial Notes

Lawn tennis first became popular in England in the 1870s. While following the fashionable silhouette of the mid-1880s, this dress makes small concessions to the physical rigors of the sport. It is made of lightweight, washable cotton, with an ankle-length skirt and a deep pocket for holding tennis balls. Though comfortable “sport” bustles were available, this dress has a built-in bustle with interior ties to adjust the volume, eliminating the need for a separate understructure.

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.