The Rockefeller family member who wore this dress would have made a striking figure among the muted pastel tones of Belle Époque fashion. Jeanne Paquin layered black fabrics and trims of varying weights and finishes to achieve nuanced variations in pattern, shade, and texture. At first glance, the detailed embellishment appears subtle and restrained, adding to the refined understatement of this fashionable black dress.
BACKGROUND:
Furnishing fabric
Printed cotton
Circa 1902, England
Museum purchase, P92.34.6
This furnishing textile is typical of the Art Nouveau style, which incorporated natural and curvilinear shapes. Art Nouveau often drew inspiration from the female form, finding in it expressions of beauty, sensuality, and mystery.