The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Wedding Dress

Date:: 1824
Culture:: American
Medium:: silk
Dimensions:: Length at CB: 53 in. (134.6 cm)
Credit Line:: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of the Jason and Peggy Westerfield Collection, 1969
Accession Number:: 2009.300.918

This artwork is not on display

Description

White was not a commonplace color for wedding attire in the early 19th century, which makes this piece a rare example. Until the late 19th century, brides usually wore a colored gown which could then be worn again for other social functions after the wedding. The silhouette and trim identify this dress as an excellent example of high style during the 1820s. A particular feature of this era was the elaborate hem decoration known as 'hem sculpture." Here the trim is a three-dimensional leaf pattern incorporating chiffon which is repeated on the bodice and sleeves. The silhouette, with the raised waist and short sleeve puffs combined with long sleeves, is also characteristic of the period.
Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Marking: Unlabeled
See also
What
Costume (41,990)

Silk (32,592)

Dresses (5,403)

Wedding dresses (132)
Where
North and Central America (75,516)

United States (72,259)
When
A.D. 1800-1900 (71,699)
In the Museum
Costume Institute (33,837)
Timelines from the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
The United States and Canada, 1800-1900 A.D.