Elegant Vintage Dresses

A display of historical dresses from the 18th to early 19th centuries, featuring delicate fabrics, intricate designs, and formal styles for occasions.

Morning dress ca. 1828 American. Morning dress 108029

Peignoir 1821-23 British. Peignoir. British. 1821-23. cotton

Wedding ensemble 1844 European. Wedding ensemble 108401

Dress. Culture: French. Date: ca. 1780. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Morning dress ca. 1828 American. Morning dress 108029

Evening dress 1901-5 Jeanne Hallée French. Evening dress 94867

Dress 1856 American. Dress 108185

Evening dress ca. 1889 House of Worth French. Evening dress 106576

Wedding dress. Culture: American. Date: 1826. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Dress ca. 1865 British. Dress 107641

Wedding ensemble. Culture: American. Manufacturer: Courvoisier (French). Date: 1870. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Tablier, folded all around with wide middle fold of cream-colored silk in yellow embroidered with slender, widely measured flower and leaf vines; Blue linen lining., Anonymous, 1740 - 1745 Put smooth tablier with deep folds on a tire; Corning with a dress of white rips side, embroidered with yellow side. France (possibly) silk. linen (material) embroidering Put smooth tablier with deep folds on a tire; Corning with a dress of white rips side, embroidered with yellow side. France (possibly) silk. linen (material) embroidering

Dress ca. 1886 American. Dress 100037

Dress. Culture: British. Date: 1750.Whereas the nineteenth century was marked by regular changes in the placement of the waist, only very subtle shifts in the waistline occurred in the dress of the eighteenth century. While a low waist was in evidence at the eighteenth century's commencement and an extremely high waist took prominence at its end, the middle of the century was characterized by a waistline that hovered at the natural zone. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Dress. Culture: American. Date: 1837-40.This girl's dress is a very good example of the change in style that began in 1837, the year that Queen Victoria became queen. The exaggerated gigot sleeve collapsed in that year, and the sleeve became tight on the upper arm, gradually losing its fullness over the next several years. This dress shows that transition well and is exemplary of dresses worn by a young teenage girl of the highest style of the period. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Dress 1876-77 American. Dress 107623

Visiting dress British ca. 1822

Dinner dress ca. 1876 American. Dinner dress 107585

Evening dress. Culture: American. Date: 1885-89. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Evening dress 1840-45 British. Evening dress 108098

Dress. Culture: British. Date: 1819-21. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Léopoldine Hugo's wedding dress (dummy title), 1843. Silk. Houses of Victor Hugo Paris - Guernsey.

Dress 1819-21 British. Dress. British. 1819-21. silk

Morning dress ca. 1820 American. Morning dress 108027

Woman's Dress. Matching alternative bodice and bag of textile fragments to 1952M29.1

Dress of cognac-colored moiré side, consisting of mounted skirt and body, decorated with narrow lace and small buttons, exaggerated with gold-colored fabric, anonymous, c. 1865 - c. 1870 Dress of cognac-colored moiré side. The body attached to the skirt. The long fitting sleeves are equipped with long loose decorative sleeves. The skirt gradually becomes longer; From the front it is sewn smoothly to the body, pleated and wrinkled from behind. Small buttons and narrow side along the pattes on the skirt, the oversmouwen, arm holes, slip and on the band of the Ceinthure (B). Rotterdam silk Dress of cognac-colored moiré side. The body attached to the skirt. The long fitting sleeves are equipped with long loose decorative sleeves. The skirt gradually becomes longer; From the front it is sewn smoothly to the body, pleated and wrinkled from behind. Small buttons and narrow side along the pattes on the skirt, the oversmouwen, arm holes, slip and on the band of the Ceinthure (B). Rotterdam silk

Cognack colored mire-silk shapon, consisting of skirt and body attached to each other, decorated with narrow lace and small buttons, covered with gold-colored fabric .. Cognac-colored moire-silk. The body attached to the skirt. The long connecting sleeves are equipped with long loose ornamental sleeves. The skirt is gradually getting behind; This is smoothly sewn from the bodice, from behind pleated and wrinkled. Small buttons and narrow side along the pattes on the skirt, the over-sleeves, armholes, slip and on the belt of the belt (B).

Dress. Culture: French. Date: ca. 1775.This is an example of one form of dress which became acceptable in the later part of the 18th century. The bodice is more like a jacket, known as a caraco. The informal sensibility about it is relative to the open robes and exposed petticoats of the period. The sleeves are known as sabot sleeves because they fit over the elbow like a sabot shoe, also known as a clog. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Wedding dress 1881 American. Wedding dress. American. 1881. cotton, silk

Evening dress 1885-89 Dora Floerckey. Evening dress 107037

Afternoon dress. Culture: American. Date: ca. 1835. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Dress 1828-30 American. Dress 107955

Redingote of jasjurk (a) van zijde oorspronkelijk changerend van blauw naar lila, maar sterk verkleurd en spencer met ontbrekende mouwen (b) van dito zijde.Editing or jacket (a) from silk originally changering from blue to lilac, but strongly discolored and spencer with missing sleeves (B) from ditto side. A: Redingote or jacket from silk originally changering from blue to lilac but discolored, ankleng with transshipment, high waist, round collar, long sleeves with puff sleeves and decorated with buttons and stuffed roll seams (Rouleeaux).

Evening dress 1828-29 American. Evening dress 107954

White cotton muslin tunic dress, Beauvais point embroidery, polychrome silk threads, silver glitter applications, around 1795 - 1798 (front view). Galliera, fashion museum of the city of Paris. 34793-13 Feminine, woman, polychrome silk thread, white cotton muslin, silver glitter, tunic dress, embroidery at point of Beauvais

Tea gown 1875-80 probably American The teagown was intended to be worn at home while greeting receiving people. As with most other 19th century garments it did not require the wearer to don a corset underneath. This level of comfort was only permissible in one's own home. An interesting construction aspect of this teagown is the back, which resembles a redingote and adds a masculine touch to a highly feminine garment.The bustle silhouette, although primarily associated with the second half of the 19th century, originated in earlier fashions as a simple bump at the back of the dress, such as with late 17th-early 18th century mantuas and late 18th- early 19th century Empire dresses. The full-blown bustle silhouette had its first Victorian appearance in the late 1860s, which started as fullness in skirts moving to the back of the dress. This fullness was drawn up in ties for walking that created a fashionable puff. This trendsetting puff expanded and was then built up with supports from a

Evening dress ca. 1820 American The puffing is a rare intricate feature executed completely by hand and shows the typical decoration locations of this period, with shoulder and hem details. The one surviving long sleeve indicates the dress could be worn with or without sleeves to suit the occasion and the weather. The Empire silhouette is readily identified with its origins in the chiton of ancient Greco-Romans, which was a tubular garment draped from the shoulders and sometimes belted beneath the bust. Several re-interpretations have occurred throughout costume history but none have been as notable as the period bridging the rectangular panierred skirts of the 18th century and the conical hoop skirts of the 19th century. The neoclassic style was adopted in all forms of decoration after the French Revolution and was upheld during the Napoleonic Wars partly due to Napoleon Bonaparte's (1769-1821) alliance with Greco-Roman principles. In fashion, the style began as children's wear made f

Woman's Dress (Wedding). United States, 1894. Costumes; ensembles. Silk chiffon

Wedding dress 1859 American. Wedding dress 108161

Robe à la Française 1770-75 French The striped textile here is indicative of the change in aesthetics around 1770 to a more neoclassical taste, less florid than the silks of the decades prior to them.Women with coquettish airs were imposing in robes à la française and robes à l'anglaise throughout the period between 1720 and 1780. The robe à la française was derived from the loose negligee sacque dress of the earlier part of the century, which was pleated from the shoulders at the front at the back. The silhouette, composed of a funnel-shaped bust feeding into wide rectangular skirts, was inspired by Spanish designs of the previous century and allowed for expansive amounts of textiles with delicate Rococo curvilinear decoration. The wide skirts, which were often open at the front to expose a highly decorated underskirt, were supported by paniers created from padding and hoops of different materials such as cane, baleen or metal. The robes à la française are renowned for the beauty of t

Dress 1799-1800 American The radically different silhouette of the last years of the eighteenth century was intended as an imitation of classical Greek and Roman dress. Basically, a soft, thin chemise of cotton or linen that almost fully revealed the breasts, the Empire gown was not universally embraced, if this uncharitable 1790s evaluation is to be believed: "The bosom, which Nature planted at the bottom of her chest, is pushed up by means of wadding and whalebone to a station so near her chin that in a very full nature that feature is sometimes lost between invading mounds. were it not for the fine apparel of our ladies we should be at a loss whether they were nurses or cooks.". Dress 86735

Wedding dress of flowered silk, anonymous, c. 1760 Bridal gown, half parure - overjapon (B) and skirt (A) - of white multicolored brochure with flowers and leaves. Lining of light blue silk and glued blue linen. Netherlands (possibly) silk. Bridal gown, half parure - overjapon (B) and skirt (A) - of white multicolored brochure with flowers and leaves. Lining of light blue silk and glued blue linen. Netherlands (possibly) silk.

Dress Made of Printed Fabric. The dress is made of cotton with a glazed finish produced in Europe. This kind of European fabric, which was often printed, was a less expensive alternative to chintz, a handpainted or stained calico cloth imported from India. The dress on view is adorned with panels of the same fabric with pleats folded into a hexagonal pattern.

Dress 1885 Marion E. Dick. Dress 173530

Dress ca. 1857 probably American. Dress 90859

Woman's Dress and Petticoat (Robe à l'anglaise). England, 1770-1780. Costumes; principal attire (entire body). Silk plain weave (taffeta) with discontinuous silk supplemetary weft patterning

Evening dress. Culture: American. Date: ca. 1840.The female silhouette of the middle of the 19th century consisted of a fitted corseted bodice and wide full skirts. The conical skirts developed between the 1830s, when the high waist of the Empire silhouette was lowered and the skirts became more bell shaped, to the late 1860s, when the fullness of the skirts were pulled to the back and the bustle developed. The flared skirts of the period gradually increased in size throughout and were supported by a number of methods. Originally support came from multiple layers of petticoats which, due to weight and discomfort, were supplanted by underskirts comprised of graduated hoops made from materials such as baleen, cane and metal. The fashions during this time allowed the textiles to stand out because of the vast surface areas of the skirt and a relatively minimal amount of excess trim. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Dress 1725-40 Italian Remarkable for its highly original ornamentation, which combines chinoiserie imagery and allegorical figures of the Four Continents, this casaquin (jacket-bodice) and petticoat is a singular example of eighteenth century woman's dress. The execution of the embroidery in wool rather than in silk is also rare. Fantastic birds, pagodas, and exotic flowers are familiar elements of the chinoiseries style of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, but the interpretation of the Four Continents as jesterlike figures is atypical and shows the influence of the grotesques of the seventeenth-century designer Jean Berain. Although the large shaded flowers correspond to those in woven dress silks of the 1730s, the embroidery overall is more closely related to that seen in furnishing textiles. The exuberant and vividly colored motifs are displayed to advantage by the flowing lines of the casaquin and the rounded petticoat. This type of two-piece dress, derived from

Day dress; early 20th century (1890-00-00-1910-00-00);

Summer set (Paletot and skirt). Beige linen canvas, black downwards. Shooting skirt. 1866. Second Empire. Galliera, fashion museum of the city of Paris. Summer set (Paletot and skirt) Summer set, feminine, tread skirt, female model, paletot, black flowerhouse, second empire, linen, dress

Summer set (Paletot and skirt). Beige linen canvas, black downwards. Shooting skirt. 1866. Second Empire. Galliera, fashion museum of the city of Paris. Summer set (Paletot and skirt) Summer set, feminine, tread skirt, female model, paletot, black flowerhouse, second empire, linen, dress

Summer gown of dark green striped and floral wool, anonymous, c. 1830 - c. 1840 Netherlands wool Netherlands wool

Woman's Dress (Robe à la française). France, circa 1770. Costumes; principal attire (entire body). Cotton and linen plain weave, block-printed and dye-painted, with silk passementerie

Dress ca. 1894 probably American. Dress 102289

Wedding dress 1882 American. Wedding dress 107009

Robe à l'Anglaise. Culture: British. Date: 1776.Women with coquettish airs were imposing in robes à la française and robes à l'anglaise throughout the period between 1720 and 1780. The robe à l'anglaise developed with a fitted back after the style of dress worn in England. The silhouette, composed of a funnel-shaped bust feeding into wide rectangular skirts, was inspired by Spanish designs of the previous century and allowed for expansive amounts of textiles with delicate Rococo curvilinear decoration. The wide skirts, which were often open at the front to expose a highly decorated underskirt, were supported by panniers created from padding and hoops of different materials such as cane, baleen or metal. The robes à l'anglaise are renowned for the beauty of their textiles and the meticulous fit of their bodice back. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Morning dress 1850-65 American. Morning dress 90873

Dress. Culture: American. Date: ca. 1805.The Empire silhouette is readily identified with its origins in the chiton of ancient Greco-Romans, which was a tubular garment draped from the shoulders and sometimes belted beneath the bust. Several re-interpretations have occurred throughout costume history but none have been as notable as the period bridging the rectangular panierred skirts of the 18th century and the conical hoop skirts of the 19th century. The neoclassic style was adopted in all forms of decoration after the French Revolution and was upheld during the Napoleonic Wars partly due to Napoleon Bonaparte's (1769-1821) alliance with Greco-Roman principles. In fashion, the style began as children's wear made from fine white cotton, but was adopted by women in the form of a tubular dress with skirts that were gathered under the bust with some fullness over a pad at the back. As the style progressed the skirts began to flatten at the front and solely gather from the bodice at the

Gown unknown

Day dress. Silk taffeta with blue and cream striped patterns, blue silk taffeta bias, small bedside of white floche floccies alternating with pearls (tubes) of colorless glass, white cotton tulle. 1869. Galliera, fashion museum of the city of Paris. 70571-2 Bias, white, blue, buckle, white cotton, cream, flocch, scratch pattern, pilottery, pearl, day dress, silk, taffeta, tulle, colorless glass

Woman's Stomacher. 1725 - 1775. Costumes. Silk satin with metallic-thread embroidery

Dress 1750-75 Italian. Dress 90835

Dress 1857-59 American. Dress 84367

Bridesmaid dress 1896 A. F. Jammes. Bridesmaid dress 107061

Vestido de novia, siglo XVIII. Museu del Disseny de Barcelona.

Evening dress 1858-59 American. Evening dress. American. 1858-59. silk

Dress ca. 1838 American. Dress 82113

Robe à l'Anglaise 1740-60 British Women with coquettish airs were imposing in robes à la française and robes à l'anglaise throughout the period between 1720 and 1780. The robe à l'anglaise developed with a fitted back after the style of dress worn in England. The silhouette, composed of a funnel-shaped bust feeding into wide rectangular skirts, was inspired by Spanish designs of the previous century and allowed for expansive amounts of textiles with delicate Rococo curvilinear decoration. The wide skirts, which were often open at the front to expose a highly decorated underskirt, were supported by panniers created from padding and hoops of different materials such as cane, baleen or metal. The robes à l'anglaise are renowned for the beauty of their textiles and the meticulous fit of their bodice back.. Robe à l'Anglaise. British. 1740-60. silk

Dress. Culture: French. Date: 1894-95. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Robe à la Française. Culture: French. Date: 1760-70.Women with coquettish airs were imposing in robes à la française and robes à l'anglaise throughout the period between 1720 and 1780. The robe à la française was derived from the loose negligee sacque dress of the earlier part of the century, which was pleated from the shoulders at the front at the back. The silhouette, composed of a funnel-shaped bust feeding into wide rectangular skirts, was inspired by Spanish designs of the previous century and allowed for expansive amounts of textiles with delicate Rococo curvilinear decoration. The wide skirts, which were often open at the front to expose a highly decorated underskirt, were supported by panniers created from padding and hoops of different materials such as cane, baleen or metal. The robes à la française are renowned for the beauty of their textiles, the cut of the back employing box pleats and skirt decorations, known as robings, which showed endless imagination and variety. Mus

Dress. Culture: French. Date: 1750-75. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Evening ensemble ca. 1888 House of Worth French The bustle silhouette, although primarily associated with the second half of the 19th century, originated in earlier fashions as a simple bump at the back of the dress, such as with late 17th-early 18th century mantuas and late 18th- early 19th century Empire dresses. The full-blown bustle silhouette had its first Victorian appearance in the late 1860s, which started as fullness in skirts moving to the back of the dress. This fullness was drawn up in ties for walking that created a fashionable puff. This trendsetting puff expanded and was then built up with supports from a variety of different things such as horsehair, metal hoops and down. Styles of this period were often taken from historical inspiration and covered in various types of trim and lace. Accessories were petite and allowed for the focus on the large elaborate gowns. Around 1874, the style altered and the skirts began to hug the thighs in the front while the bustle at the ba

Ensemble. Culture: American. Date: 1835-45. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Ball gown. Culture: French. Designer: Jacques Doucet (French, Paris 1853-1929 Paris). Date: ca. 1902.Jacques Doucet was first, and foremost, a connoisseur of art. Additionally, his passion for the refined and exquisite overflowed into his dealings with fashion, making him one of the finest French couturiers during the Belle Époque. The House of Doucet began as a family business, specializing in women's lingerie and laces, as well as articles of clothing for men. Founded in 1817, the company rose to fame under the hand of Jacques. The house was known for its luxurious offerings, which were worn and coveted by royalty, members of the elite society in both Europe and America, and actresses of the stage.This is an exquisite ball gown of the period that exemplifies the fine work produced by the French ateliers. The placement of the paillettes into bee forms is a particularly engaging aspect of the overall embroidery and design, accenting the detailed ribbon work. The garland of bows and f

Evening dress 1900-1903 Catherine Donovan American, born Ireland. Evening dress. American. 1900-1903. silk, linen, metal

Robe mid-18th century French. Robe 87019

Dress British 1826-29 While its descending waistline, swelling sleeves, and raised hemline, this splendid day dress anticipates the exaggerated outline of the 1830s. Pleating on the front--beginning at the waist, opening acrosss the bodice, and extending toward the full sleeves--creates the illusion of increased width at the shoulders. The ankle begins its brief decade of exposure, even as the silhouette otherwise assumes a body-concealing mass and modesty.

Dress. A corset emphasizing the waist and buttocks was worn under this dress. It created a voluptuous S-bend silhouette, which was in fashion at the time. The long fringe with beads on the bodice hangs over the bosom, loose from the body. Only the topmost band of the skirt made of handmade lace, the rest are machine made.

Skirt with trail of crème satin under black lace, decorated with wrinkled strips black lace with floral motifs. Skirt with drag managing at a joke of black lace on a crême satin undernacked; Equipped with two wide chantilly strips and a strip of machining.

Ensemble 1831-35 American Printed dresses like this were very fashionable for the promenade. The pelerine (small cape), a popular accessory in the 1830s, added a versatility to the day dress. It not only completed the look of the dress, but also afforded some warmth outdoors. When removed, the fine details of the pleated and piped bodice were revealed.. Ensemble 82117

Dress ca. 1900 American. Dress 106565

Gown with a pleated back panel, anonymous, c. 1820 - c. 1825 Klapon, ankleang, purple, green and gold checker, with puffed sleeves over the long sleeves and ruffles along the collar, the puffed sleeves, the long sleeves, the closure in the middle and the hem of the skirt. Model: close body with high waist. Run that is sewn with flat folds on the front buildings of the body, settled on the back. Round neck with flat collar. Closure in the middle front with a split and hooks and eyes. The entire body is lined with dark brown shine cotton. The skirt is unlined. Decorative: Around the high waist A narrow striccinure of the same fabric as the dress, which is decorated on the back with seven flat, round knots covered with the fabric of the dress. A narrow strap of the fabric of the dress that is closed by means of a hook and eye around the cut -off cuffs. Netherlands whole: Silk. Lining: Cotton (textile) Amsterdam Klapon, ankleang, purple, green and gold checker, with puffed sleeves over t

Evening dress ca. 1895 Rouff French This is a clear example of the love for reinterpreting the 18th-century aesthetic which prevailed in the Belle Époque, evoking the grandeur and romanticism of the period. This evening dress bodice precisely references the fine embroidered men's waistcoats of the period, but with very delicate and feminine motifs evoking the style of Rococo weaver Philippe de Lasalle (1723-1804).. Evening dress 157153

Evening ensemble 1845-50 American The elegant evening outerwear combines a fashionable silhouette alongside functionality with overall padding for warmth. The textile creates a magical carapace which entices in every move.. Evening ensemble 159410

Ball gown 1893-94 House of Worth French. Ball gown 84330

French dress. Dress in dragging silk pewing, cotton mechanical lace, 6 wooden buttons covered with pink silk taffeta in an independent pouch of the 21st century. Cuffs, white cotton canvas. 1760-1770. Galliera, fashion museum of the city of Paris. 101269-29 Costumes, 18th 18th 18th 18th 18th 18th century

Christening dress 1868 American. Christening dress 158187

Dress. Culture: American. Date: 1876-78.The most salient feature of eighteenth-century appropriation demonstrated in this dress is its long line of embroidery at center front and descending to the hem. The floral decoration and its placement on the garment arise not from copying eighteenth-century women's fashion but from a comprehension of eighteenth-century menswear. It is as if the waistcoat's ebullient decorative impulse has been transferred to the brown wool of this almost too-dour nineteenth-century dress. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Dress 1880s House of Worth French. Dress 106574

Robe. Culture: American. Date: 1845-55. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Not scratched. 2nd Empire wedding dress. Silk. 1868. Galliera, fashion museum of the city of Paris.

Wedding Dress 1872 American. Wedding Dress 175624

Redingote or Great-Coat Dress. The origin of the redingote lies in long mens coats with a cutaway front, the riding coat. It is a striking example of the influence mens fashion exerted on womens fashion. A redingote for ladies consisted of an overcoat or gown, and a loose skirt in a contrasting colour, which enhanced the coat-like effect. Olive green and pale pink were a popular combination at the end of the 18th century.

Dress ca. 1780 British. Dress 84537

Woman's Hat (Bergère). France, circa 1760. Costumes; Accessories. Straw, cotton plain weave, and silk plain weave ribbon with supplementary weft-float patterning trim

Tea gown 1875 American This teagown belonged to Amelia Beard Hollenback (1844-1918), wife of the prominent financier and philanthropist John Welles Hollenback (1835-1927). In 1874, the Hollenback family settled in the modestly affluent neighborhood of Clinton Hill in Brooklyn. The first teagowns, which were worn as at-home attire when entertaining guests, made their first appearance in the late 1870s. Worn in the months immediately after the Hollenback's first daughter was born, this early example illustrates Amelia Hollenback's keen awareness of fashion.. Tea gown 158923

Dress 1862-63 French. Dress 91020

Dress. Culture: British. Date: ca. 1822. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Italy, 19th century. Renaissance style costume in red silk velvet and silk satin. Italian manufacture, 1887

Morning dress. Culture: American. Date: ca. 1852.The female silhouette of the middle of the 19th century consisted of a fitted corseted bodice and wide full skirts. The conical skirts developed between the 1830s, when the high waist of the Empire silhouette was lowered and the skirts became more bell shaped, to the late 1860s, when the fullness of the skirts were pulled to the back and the bustle developed. The flared skirts of the period gradually increased in size throughout and were supported by a number of methods. Originally support came from multiple layers of petticoats which, due to weight and discomfort, were supplanted by underskirts comprised of graduated hoops made from materials such as baleen, cane and metal. The fashions during this time allowed the textiles to stand out because of the vast surface areas of the skirt and a relatively minimal amount of excess trim. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Chéruit, 1905, satin, mechanical lace, white silk Palais Galliera, fashion museum of the city of Paris

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