ticketsMember | Make a donation

Dress

ca. 1725
Not on view
A Spitalfields silk dress with a dome-shaped skirt conforms not only to the silhouette of the 1730s but also to the interaction between silks and laces during that time, especially evident in Spitalfields manufacture. The silk pattern is like that of lace. While such interaction seems hard to imagine between worker and pattern book, clothing is a place where the various media ultimately converge. Eighteenth-century dress, in particular, was a Gesamtkunstwerk of artisanal and dressmaking skills. While most eighteenth-century dresses have been altered in some way for subsequent use, fashion historian Janet Arnold has noted that this one shows no sign of ever having been altered and is thus in its perfect original state.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Dress
  • Date: ca. 1725
  • Culture: British
  • Medium: silk
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Irene Lewisohn Bequest, 1964
  • Object Number: C.I.64.14
  • Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Stomacher, linen, silk, whale bone, British
Stomacher
British
first quarter 18th century
Court dress, silk, metallic thread, British
Court dress
British
ca. 1750
Robe à la française, silk, pigment, linen, British
Robe à la française
British
1740s
Robe à la française, silk, linen, cotton, British
Robe à la française
British
ca. 1760
Waistcoat, Anna Maria Garthwaite British, silk, wool, linen, metal, British
Waistcoat
Anna Maria Garthwaite
Peter Lekeux
1747

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.