Illustration

Unknown

1940–49 · paper, gouache, ink · Costume Institute

It is extremely rare to have a complete unfinished dress à la disposition, such as 39.601.1, in a museum collection. The complex machine-embroidery and hand-stitched seed beads on the unfinished textile lengths assists in comprehending the manufacturing process in the 1870s. The artist's rendering of the completed garment, although from a later date, gives an indication of the elegant completed creation.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1940–49

Medium

paper, gouache, ink

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Edward C. Blum, 1939