Mourning dress

Unknown

ca. 1903 · silk/wool, silk · Costume Institute

Black silk crape has been tucked into curved lines emanating in a pinwheel formation from central floral appliqués. Fine tucks composed in intricate patterns were a popular decorative device on fashions of the early twentieth century, as they were well-suited to the light, supple fabrics favored at the time. Decorative tucks were noted as especially suited for mourning wear, since they offered an understated means of elaboration. The strict rigors of mourning etiquette had been loosening over the previous decade, and the retailers and fashion columnists who continued to promote and discuss it regularly emphasized the attractive nature of contemporary mourning dress.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1903

Medium

silk/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 Clara L. Cardozo, 1939