Dress

Unknown

1790s · silk · Costume Institute

The fullest merger of old and new is represented in this dress. The form of the surrounding robe is open, and even the neckline could seem to be decades earlier. But the textile design has been subdued, and the lighter taffeta robe is paired with a white petticoat for an effect that resembles neoclassicism emerging from the chrysalis of the ancien régime.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1790s

Medium

silk

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Purchase, The Coby Foundation Ltd. Gift, 1998