Woman's Dresscirca 1800

On view:

Geffen Galleries, From Kashmir to Cashmere

White mannequin dressed in an ivory empire-waist gown with a cream and dark paisley-bordered shawl and ruffled white bonnet, shown in three-quarter view against a dark background

Close-up of sheer linen textile in pale gray, with scattered white embroidered motifs including a small floral or leaf cluster and a curling feather or scroll form.

Close-up detail of white textile garment showing a band of net lace with embroidered dot clusters and a scrolling floral border, layered over gathered white fabric.

Title: Woman's Dress
Place Made: Probably India for the Western market
Date Made: circa 1800
Medium: Cotton plain weave (muslin) with cotton embroidery
Dimensions: Center back length: 64 in. (162.56 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.2007.211.867
Classification: Costumes
Collecting Area: Costume and Textiles
Curatorial Notes: Toward the end of the eighteenth century, a revival of interest in classical antiquity in Europe led to women’s fashions that reinterpreted the draped garments and hairstyles depicted in ancient Greek and Roman statuary. The so-called “neoclassical” look reflected a broader cultural interest in the democratic politics and philosophies of those civilizations. Thin white muslin sheath dresses like this one, which features a low neckline, short sleeves, a high waistline, and a skirt that trains at back, outlined a woman’s silhouette more intimately than the silk fashions of before. This example of fine, sheer cotton muslin with delicate cotton embroidery was likely made in India for export to Europe, where it was constructed into a gown by a wearer’s dressmaker (then called a mantua maker). Shawls from Kashmir, located in the northwestern Indian subcontinent, provided warmth and visual interest, while echoing the flowing drapery of ancient statues.

Clarissa M. Esguerra

2024
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.
Örmen, Catherine. L'Art de la Mode. Paris: Citadelles & Mazenod, 2015.
Edwards, Lydia. How to Read a Dress: a Guide to Changing Fashion from the 16th to the 20th Century. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2017.
Rauser, Amelia F. The Age of Undress: Art, Fashion, and the Classical Ideal in the 1790s. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2020.

Related Unframed

Woman's Dresscirca 1800

On view:

Geffen Galleries, From Kashmir to Cashmere

Title: Woman's Dress
Place Made: Probably India for the Western market
Date Made: circa 1800
Medium: Cotton plain weave (muslin) with cotton embroidery
Dimensions: Center back length: 64 in. (162.56 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.2007.211.867
Classification: Costumes
Collecting Area: Costume and Textiles
Curatorial Notes: Toward the end of the eighteenth century, a revival of interest in classical antiquity in Europe led to women’s fashions that reinterpreted the draped garments and hairstyles depicted in ancient Greek and Roman statuary. The so-called “neoclassical” look reflected a broader cultural interest in the democratic politics and philosophies of those civilizations. Thin white muslin sheath dresses like this one, which features a low neckline, short sleeves, a high waistline, and a skirt that trains at back, outlined a woman’s silhouette more intimately than the silk fashions of before. This example of fine, sheer cotton muslin with delicate cotton embroidery was likely made in India for export to Europe, where it was constructed into a gown by a wearer’s dressmaker (then called a mantua maker). Shawls from Kashmir, located in the northwestern Indian subcontinent, provided warmth and visual interest, while echoing the flowing drapery of ancient statues.

Clarissa M. Esguerra

2024
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.
Örmen, Catherine. L'Art de la Mode. Paris: Citadelles & Mazenod, 2015.
Edwards, Lydia. How to Read a Dress: a Guide to Changing Fashion from the 16th to the 20th Century. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2017.
Rauser, Amelia F. The Age of Undress: Art, Fashion, and the Classical Ideal in the 1790s. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2020.