Dress

Unknown

1833–35 · silk · Costume Institute

Caricaturists of the 1830s focused on the newly fashionable inflated forms that were such a contrast to the body-revealing styles of the previous three decades. The dilation of sleeves and skirts reached such an extreme that women were often satirically depicted as airborne, caught up by gusts of wind trapped under their skirts. In fact, they were weighed down by the sleeve pillows and multiple petticoats required to support their stylish volume.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1833–35

Medium

silk

Culture

British

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Miss Irene Lewisohn, 1937