Dress

Unknown

ca. 1818 · silk · Costume Institute

Fashions worn by American women in the early nineteenth century were directly influenced by the modish toilettes of London and Paris. American dressmakers and tailors kept up a regular correspondence with their European counterparts, disseminating news of the latest innovations to their customers. Among the trends passed across the Atlantic from England was a preference, beginning in the fall of 1818, for a shade of marine blue favored by the Duchess of Clarence, recently married to the future William IV. London fashion magazines noted the popularity of “Clarence blue,” a pronouncement that was reprinted in American periodicals. This dress, of Clarence-blue silk twill, reveals the international influences on American fashion, in both its color and the disposition of its finely applied satin trimming.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1818

Medium

silk

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Purchase, Irene Lewisohn Bequest, 2016