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Ball gown

Design House House of Worth French
1900–1905
Not on view
Jean-Philippe Worth succeeded his father as designer for the House of Worth, creating to great favor the stiffened, slightly archaic, rococo revival of the turn of the century. The house continued its virtuoso technical achievements, as represented in this example, in which metallic thread is couched to render baskets and scrolling ribbons, and ivory marquisette is cut into circles and pulled in at the perimeter to make the soft three-dimensional petals that are then applied to the fabric. As the twentieth century began, these designs recalled the eighteenth century. Their artisanal opulence implied the conservative impulse of the couture opposed to the novelties of a new era.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ball gown
  • Design House: House of Worth (French, 1858–1956)
  • Date: 1900–1905
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: silk, cotton, metallic thread, glass, metal
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Walter H. Page, 1979
  • Object Number: 1979.251.4a, b
  • Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

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Charles Frederick Worth
ca. 1889
Mourning coat, House of Worth French, silk, French
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