Dolman

Arnold Constable & Company

1870–80 · wool, silk · Costume Institute

This dolman is made from a fine quality Indian shawl and mimics the popular bustle silhouette of the period. The motifs are beautifully matched which indicate the skills of an expert dressmaker. In the 1870s shawls lost popularity due to its immense size and the reducing expanse of skirts to help support them. Although some were retained as heirlooms, others were stitched into the more wieldy shape of the mantle.

Artist

Arnold Constable & Company

Date

1870–80

Medium

wool, 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 Mrs. Alfred S. Rossin, 1927