Robe à la Française

Unknown

ca. 1750 · (a) silk, metallic thread (b) silk, cotton (c) silk (d,e) metallic thread · Costume Institute

In a rare example of a full eighteenth-century dress in quilting, the proficiency of the silk to contain body heat is transferred from the more familiar elements of separate jackets and petticoats for winter. In this instance and a related quilted outfit in the Victoria & Albert Museum, the density of quilting mitigates the sleek lines of mid-eighteenth century. With some uncertainties in its state of preservation, this ensemble combined at-home coziness and social grace despite the added bulk.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1750

Medium

(a) silk, metallic thread (b) silk, cotton (c) silk (d,e) metallic thread

Culture

European

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Purchase, Irene Lewisohn Trust Gift, 1981