Dinner dress

Unknown

ca. 1880 · silk · Costume Institute

This dress belonged to Amelia Beard Hollenback (1844-1918), wife of the prominent financier and philanthropist John Welles Hollenback (1835-1927). In 1874, the Hollenback family settled in the neighborhood of Clinton Hill in Brooklyn. In the 19th century, Brooklyn became a metropolitan center with numerous affluent neighborhoods and a thriving downtown shopping district to fulfill. This dress, like many of the garments in Hollenback gift, was most likely custom-made by a Brooklyn-based dressmaker. The elaborate button and tassel decorations, the overall cohesiveness of design and the high quality of this stylish dress are a testament to the craftsmanship and great attention to detail carried out by American dressmakers at this time.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1880

Medium

silk

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 Amelia Beard Hollenback, 1966