Woman's Evening Dress: Bodice and Skirt

Currently not on view

Woman's Evening Dress: Bodice and Skirt

c. 1866-1868

Designed by Charles Frederick Worth (English (active Paris), 1825–1895) Label Worth & Bobergh, Paris (1857–1870)

Charles Frederick Worth described his designs as "modernity inspired by history." For this evening dress, he found inspiration in the decorative arts and fashions of eighteenth-century France: the pink of Sèvres porcelain and the period's signature open robe with matching petticoat. Couturier to Empress Eugénie, Worth expressed the Second French Empire's desire to link itself to the court of Louis XVI. Empress Eugénie identified with the king's wife, Marie-Antoinette, and was a passionate collector of objects and memorabilia associated with her. She even posed as the queen in a portrait by Franz Xaver Winterhalter in 1854.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Titles:

Woman's Evening Dress: Bodice and Skirt

Date:

c. 1866-1868

Artists:

Designed by Charles Frederick Worth (English (active Paris), 1825–1895) Label Worth & Bobergh, Paris (1857–1870)

Medium:

Tan and pink silk faille, ivory bobbin lace

Dimensions:

Center Back Length (Bodice (without ruffle)): 8 3/4 inches (22.2 cm) Waist (Bodice): 24 inches (61 cm) Center Front Length (Skirt): 41 inches (104.1 cm) Center Back Length (Skirt): 69 inches (175.3 cm) Waist (Skirt): 25 inches (63.5 cm)

Classification:

Costume (including accessories)

Credit Line:

125th Anniversary Acquisition. Gift of the heirs of Charlotte Hope Binney Tyler Montgomery, 1996

Accession Number:

1996-19-3a,b

Geography:

Made in Paris, France, Europe

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Currently not on view