Polychrome brocaded cream silk taffeta evening dress

Evening dress
Polychrome brocaded cream silk taffeta
Circa 1840, USA
Museum purchase, P87.20.7
 

As fashion evolves, influential trends re-emerge. This dress was originally made in the eighteenth-century and later reconfigured as a contemporary silhouette. The Spitalfields fabric, in the style of Anna Maria Garthwaite, dates to circa 1760. Modifications to the original dress include a bodice that has been turned back-to-front and the addition of a pointed waistband and ruched neckline. This successful transformation owes much to the keen eye of the wearer and possibly her dressmaker. The original sleeve ruffles have been preserved with the dress and can be seen in the case to the right.