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Ball gown

Design House House of Worth French
Designer Jean-Philippe Worth French
ca. 1892
Not on view
In instances of the elaborate patterns à la disposition, woven to ultimate configuration as a dress, the House of Worth created with great invention. Moreover, the textile is so rich and dense that the couturier has allowed the selvage, as thick as grosgrain ribbon, to be its own finish, embellished with silver beads and crystal embroidery. In this decision, the couture garment expresses a startling truth to its process, yet without mitigating its sumptuous effect.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ball gown
  • Design House: House of Worth (French, 1858–1956)
  • Designer: Jean-Philippe Worth (French, 1856–1926)
  • Date: ca. 1892
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: silk, crystal
  • Credit Line: Gift of Orme Wilson and R. Thornton Wilson, in memory of their mother, Mrs. Caroline Schermerhorn Astor Wilson, 1949
  • Object Number: 49.3.25a, b
  • Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

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