Dress

The robe à l'anglaise, with open robe and petticoat, was the quintessential dress of the 1770s. The exquisite brocaded silk textile of this gown was probably the product of Spitalfields, the important silk manufacturing center just outside of London, and dates to the late 1730s to early 1740s. Previous stitch marks and the early date of the textile suggest that this dress has been remade from an earlier style. The high cost of silk made reusing fabric from outdated garments a common practice.