House of Worth | Ball gown | French | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Ball gown

Design House: House of Worth (French, 1858–1956)

Designer: Jean-Philippe Worth (French, 1856–1926)

Date: 1900

Culture: French

Medium: silk, rhinestones

Dimensions: Length at CB (a): 20 in. (50.8 cm) Length at CB (b): 74 in. (188 cm)

Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of the estate of Mrs. Arthur F. Schermerhorn, 1957

Accession Number: 2009.300.1250a, b

Not on view

Description Related Objects Online Resources Object Information Video Audio

Jean-Philippe Worth began as an assistant to his father, Charles Frederick Worth, in 1875. Gradually he was allowed to create his own designs and when his father died in 1895, he became the lead designer for the house. He was praised for making elaborate artistic gowns with intricate trimmings on unique textiles, much like his father had before him. Although the House of Worth was still favored by royalty and celebrities through the turn of the century, their styles were no longer the forefront of French fashion after 1900. Around 1910 Jean-Philippe limited his design work to important orders and hired his nephew, Jean-Charles Worth, as the new lead designer before leaving the company entirely after World War I.