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

Dress dressed in transformation, long bodice opening by square neckline, draped skirt and removable train in silk satin. Griffe: Madame Lasserre, 32 rue Bourg Neuf - Bayonne (view in front), around 1883. Galliera, fashion museum of the city of Paris. 25979-1 Long bodice, Decollete Carre, feminine, Drapee skirt, dress dress transformation, silk satin, removable train

Dress dressed in transformation, long bodice opening by square neckline, draped skirt and removable train in silk satin. Griffe: Madame Lasserre, 32 rue Bourg Neuf - Bayonne (view in front), around 1883. Galliera, fashion museum of the city of Paris. 25979-1 Long bodice, Decollete Carre, feminine, Drapee skirt, dress dress transformation, silk satin, removable train

Edith Magnette, Ball Dress, c 1939 Ball Dress

Dress Designer Louise Kornmann ca. 1900

Evening dress 1804-5 French On December 24, 1803, Jerome Bonaparte (17841860), brother of Napoleon, wed Elizabeth Patterson (17851879) of Baltimore. The beautiful and fashionable young American was married in a dress of muslin and lace that, according to a contemporary, "would fit easily into a gentleman's pocket." This description evokes the sheer, narrow dresses that caused a sensation at the beginning of the nineteenth century, more because of their contrast with the elaborate hooped costumes of previous decades than for any real immodesty. Although originally thought to have been Patterson's wedding dress, the formal gown illustrated here probably dates from 1804, when this type of vertical white embroidery became fashionable. The very sheer cotton mull from which the dress is made was probably imported from India already embroidered with heavy white cotton thread in transparent mull. Only a daring few had briefly abandoned these items of clothing, in imitation of "Grecian" drape

Dinner dress. Culture: British. Date: 1855-59. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Black Watch tartan coat. Queen Victoria had a passion for Scotland and this gave rise to a fashion for tartans in the 19th century. The name of this coats tartan is Black Watch and had been worn by the Scottish regiment of the same name since the 18th century. An unusual feature is that the back panels of the skirt can be raised with laces threaded through metal eyes.

Lace wedding dress. This wedding dress is made entirely of Brussels appliqué. This type of lace consists of a machine-made tulle onto which the separately made decorative bobbin lace ornaments are sewn by hand. This involves less work than making a bobbin lace dressand is therefore cheaper. Lace (wedding) dresses are rare and were not only passed down, but later also collected. This gown was donated to the museum by the Dutch Het Kantsalet’ Lace Society.

Woman's Dress (Robe à l'Anglaise)

Female dress, 1915. Museum: Museu Textil i d'Indumentaria, Barcelona.

Fitted Gown (adjusted dress), Anonymous, 1750 Overjapon of Havanabruine silk with a drawing representing pagodas, pavilions and large flowers. Lined with linen. Netherlands (possibly) silk. linen (material) Overjapon of Havanabruine silk with a drawing representing pagodas, pavilions and large flowers. Lined with linen. Netherlands (possibly) silk. linen (material)

Fitted Gown (adjusted dress), Anonymous, 1750 Havanabruine tablier with a drawing representing pagodas, pavilions and large flowers. Lined with linen. silk. linen (material) Havanabruine tablier with a drawing representing pagodas, pavilions and large flowers. Lined with linen. silk. linen (material)

Fitted Gown (adjusted dress), Anonymous, c. 1750 Klapon of light brown side with a woven pattern of large floral motifs and structures, consisting of an overjapon and a tablier. Netherlands (possibly) silk. linen (material). metal thread Klapon of light brown side with a woven pattern of large floral motifs and structures, consisting of an overjapon and a tablier. Netherlands (possibly) silk. linen (material). metal thread

Dress. Culture: French. Date: 1888-89. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Fashion, England, 19th century. Charles Frederick Worth (1825-1895), Day dress in striped moire silk, around 1888.

Ensemble 1820-29 American. Ensemble 159514

Mantle. Culture: American. Date: 1848-53.Nuts, berries, and leaves on a russet field are complemented by the drape of fringe, its fall also a reference to the season. All that one needs to hibernate for the winter is present on this shawl and even three-dimensionally. Not only is there sculptural relief inherent in the luxuriant velvet, but the front closures also resemble berries. A mantle for a human being is remarkably like fall's organic mantle. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Dinner dress 1878-80 American 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 back was reduced to

Dress 1888 Mme. Noll Gross 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 back was reduced to a n

Afternoon dress ca. 1880 American The nuances and contrasts between the plain faille against the subtly figured aubergine and cream silk are particularly effective on this gown. The train in particular shows interesting contrasts. Using that kind of detail on the train shows the level of awareness and scrutiny under which the design of the dress would be under. This particular form of dress, with the very tight bodice which is almost indecent, is fairly rare since it was a short lived trend.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.

Evening dress 1855-58 American. Evening dress 90858

Dress ca. 1820 British This mourning dress incorporates the puffed sleeves and ornate hem details that defined 1820s fashions. Standards for family mourning were modeled after court conventions. Upon a royal death in England, orders were issued detailing the duration of each phase of mourning and appropriate materials. Silk satins, taffetas, and velvet, considered too glossy and sumptuous for the first stage, were permitted later.. Dress 98224

Dress 1840s American. Dress 139874

Skirt, anonymous, c. 1700 - c. 1800 White cotton skirt printed with multi -colored flowers, fruits, animals, birds, butterflies, insects, stripes and a lower edge with hunting scene in landscape with trees. Netherlands cotton (textile). linen (material). chintz printing / chintz White cotton skirt printed with multi -colored flowers, fruits, animals, birds, butterflies, insects, stripes and a lower edge with hunting scene in landscape with trees. Netherlands cotton (textile). linen (material). chintz printing / chintz

Dress. Culture: American. Date: ca. 1810. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Ball gown. Taffeta striped blue bright and gray blue, blue velvet ribbon, silk ribbon. 1867. Galliera, fashion museum of the city of Paris. BALL GOWN Blue gray, lace, ball gown, silk ribbon, second empire, blue taffeta ray, cotton canvas, blue velvet

Bodice 18th century European At the court of France, ladies were expected to be in full court dress for all formal occasions. A dame du palais or femme de chambre who waited on the queen was required to wear full court dress at all times. These dresses had enormous hoops that held out a petticoat ornamented with gold metallic decorations and polychrome silk embroideries. A long train was fastened around the waist and trailed behind the wearer. The bodice, stiffened with whalebone, was completely different from those worn with other dresses. The Marquise de la Tour du Pin described one of her bodices in her memoire:I wore a grand corps, a specially made bodice, without shoulders, laced in the back, but so narrow that the lacing, about four inches wide at the bottom, showed a chemise of the finest batiste through which one could easily have noticed an insufficiently white skin. The chemise had sleeves that were only three inches high, without a shoulder, to leave the neckline bare. The t

Morning dress ca. 1880 Hungarian. Morning dress 107759

Dress. Culture: American. Date: 1860-65.Military-style decoration was recapitulated in civilian clothing, as seen in the front closure, shoulders, and cuffs of the bodice of this dress, although the actual decoration is here deliberately feminized. What might have been bullion fringe becomes delicate mother-of-pearl spangles. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Ball gown. Culture: French. Designer: Emile Pingat (French, active 1860-96). Date: ca. 1860. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Mourning dress. Culture: American. Date: ca. 1848. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Infant's Cape. Dated: c. 1938. Dimensions: overall: 47 x 38.4 cm (18 1/2 x 15 1/8 in.). Medium: watercolor and graphite on paperboard. Museum: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. Author: Florence Earl.

Dressing gown. Culture: Japanese. Date: ca. 1880.In the nineteenth century, Japan produced prodigiously for its new Western market. Economic initiative spurred the creation of consumer items exclusively for the export market. At the same time, Japan began a massive consumption of Western goods, chiefly in the sectors of heavy industry and engineering. Quilted dressing gowns like these are for an occasion and of a style that would never have been operative in Japan. For the European customer, the pattern of late-spring flowers, insects, and lotuses evoked exotic origins, mitigated by accommodations to Western style.. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Wedding dress (overview). Without claw. Silk velvet, silver embroidery inlay. 1928. Galliera, fashion museum of the city of Paris. Flowers. Silver embroidery, female, woman, inlays, married dress, train, silk velvet

Caraco, trigensitis; The seventies of the 18th century (1770-00-00-1780-00-00), the end of the 18th century (1791-00-00-1800-00-00);Brandt, Józef (1841-1915) - collection, blouse, bonnet, gift (provenance)

Day dress. Blue, gray and beige grid taffeta, silk fringes. 1854. Galliera, fashion museum of the city of Paris. 37925-12 Beige, blue, light blue, tile, bodice, feminine, silk, gray, female model, quadrille, day dress, second empire, silk, taffeta ecossais

Dress. Culture: European. Date: 1852-55. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Ball gown. Blue taffeta, blue striped and printed on a flower chain; Blue backgrounds with flower garlands. 1852. Second Empire. Galliera, fashion museum of the city of Paris. BALL GOWN Feminine, blue background, flower garland, print chain flower, model, miniature model, floral motif, ray, ball gown, ribbon, second empire, blue taffeta, crinoline

Ball gown. Blue taffeta, blue striped and printed on a flower chain; Blue backgrounds with flower garlands. 1852. Second Empire. Galliera, fashion museum of the city of Paris. BALL GOWN Feminine, blue background, flower garland, print chain flower, model, miniature model, floral motif, ray, ball gown, ribbon, second empire, blue taffeta, crinoline

Dress. Culture: American. Date: ca. 1880. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Dress. Culture: American. Date: ca. 1871. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Afternoon dress. Culture: American. Date: ca. 1880. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

. Jap with trail of soft-blue silk damest with Kashmir palm clot motifs. Bodice with V-neck. Half, smooth sleeves of damask and embroidered crepe de chine. Shawl collar that runs into a pellerine. Cardigan with lace. A draped 'belt-corselet' behind. Skirt from the front smooth and with a jacket rack. On the right under a drapery on which a s-full of the embroidered silk and beads fringe. From behind wrinkled and opened over the underjap, on which a triangle embroidered crepe is set up in front and behind and behind. Adjustment of silk, peelettes, silver beads. Underjap from the side. Address: Amélie / 27, Rue de Richelieu / Paris.

Redingote with leg-of-mutton sleeves. With the dropped shoulder and puffy leg-of-mutton sleeves, this redingote, or riding coat, is fully in keeping with fashion around 1825. To give the sleeves the desired volume, the fabric was cut on the bias. The waistline is already lower than that of earlier redingotes; by around 1835 it would once again move back down to the waist.

Ensemble. Culture: American. Date: ca. 1860. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Fashion, England, 19th century. Charles Frederick Worth (1825-1895), Debutante's dress in silk, tulle and fabric roses, around 1882.

White cotton skirt printed with multicolored flowers, fruits, animals, birds, butterflies, insects, stripes and a bottom edge with native yacht scene in landscape with trees. Skirt from printed cotton in colorful colors with a flower and plant ornament.

Dressing Gown 1875-85 American. Dressing Gown 175585

Mourning dress ca. 1848 American. Mourning dress 80526

Dress. Culture: European. Date: ca. 1857. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Dress 1880 French. Dress 106986

Dress. Culture: French. Date: 1880. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Dress. Culture: American. Date: ca. 1887. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Dress ca. 1848 American. Dress 103408

Fashion, Austria, 20th century. Amalie Wallemien: cloth suit with applied silk ornaments and taffeta vest, around 1908.

Dress ca. 1885 American. Dress 174841

Man's Ensemble (Doublet, Breeches, and Belt). Spain, Construction: late 19th century; Textile: 16th - early 17th century. Costumes; ensembles. Doublet: Silk velvet, with silk and metallic thread passementerie, metallic-thread covered buttons, silk satin ribbon, and metal Breeches: Silk velvet, with silk and metallic-thread passementerie, silk satin, and mother of pearl buttons

American 20th Century, Taffeta Dress, 1935 1942 Taffeta Dress

Round gown ca. 1798 British The round gown of the 1790s stands just before the complete renunciation of three-dimensional shaping and color in the First Empire, more or less imitating Greek sculpture bereft of polychromy (as it was often seen and envisioned in the eighteenth century). Delicate polychrome wool crewel embroidery saves this dress from the austerity of the later style and assures a date of about 1798; the piece fully anticipates the Empire style but retains one last vestige of rococo ornament and incident.. Round gown. British. ca. 1798. cotton, wool

Mourning dress ca. 1845 American During the first half of the nineteenth century, the growing circulation of fashion magazines offering guidance on appropriate mourning styles increased demand for mourning attire, which became an indicator of middle-class status. Those unable to afford the purchase of a new mourning wardrobe could dye existing garments and accessories black, while others turned to a range of retailers. Shops specializing in mourning goods had existed since the eighteenth century, though by the mid-nineteenth century they operated on a greatly enhanced scale, aided by the mechanization of the textile industry, which permitted the mass-production of fabrics. From the 1840s, mourning warehousesgrand purveyors of mourning goodswere founded in many European and American cities, making such merchandise widely available. These establishments offered a variety of mourning fabrics and accessories, and many also offered the sewing of finished garments, emphasizing their abilit

Night dress by Pedro Rodríguez. Museum: Museu Textil i d'Indumentaria, Barcelona.

Evening coat ca. 1900 House of Worth French Historicism was a major hallmark of the House of Worth beginning with Charles Frederick Worth's interest in studying historical costume through museum research. This evening coat readily includes iconography of the Tudors with a Tudor rose pattern alongside the silhouette of alternative 16th century negligées in the full sleeves, standing collar and unfitted style. Worth ingeniously manipulates the textile to create an entirely new pattern on the back panel and has a keen eye for the creating the subtle black on black patterning on the top to counteract the stark contrast of the roses in the skirt. Jean-Philippe Worth began as an assistant to his father, Charles Frederick Worth, in 1875. Gradually he was allowed to create his own designs and when his father died in 1895, he became the lead designer for the house. He was praised for making elaborate artistic gowns with intricate trimmings on unique textiles, much like his father had before him

Gown with a train. To meet the strict requirements set by the court in Paris, a court gown had to be decorated with gold lamé (thin strips of gold). This gown - meant to be worn at the court of Louis Napoleon in the Netherlands - is worked merely’ with gilt brass. The accompanying silk stockings and shoes are also on view in this gallery.

Court presentation ensemble 1896 probably American Emily Warren Roebling, who had a significant role in the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, wore this gown for her formal presentation to Queen Victoria in 1896. Robeling was the wife of Washington Augustus Roebling (1837-1926), the chief engineer of the bridge, and took over day-to-day supervision of the project for a period of fourteen years after husband became ill and was unable to visit the construction site. Although she had no formal training, Roebling's extensive knowledge of engineering contributed significantly to the successful completion of the bridge in 1886.Presentation at court was a special event for American women of Roebling's social status and court protocol regulated men's and women's formal attire for the event. The lavish embroidery, sumptuous textiles and long train are characteristics of the formal gown, making it appropriate for the occasion. Roebling appears to have had a sentimental attachment to the ensemble;

Woman's Hat (Fanchon). England, 1860-1870. Costumes; Accessories. Linen net with linen lace, silk lace, silk velvet, and glass beads

Day dress. Brothel brown silk with floral garlands. 1861-1863. Galliera, fashion museum of the city of Paris. Day Dress (Detail) Button, back, flower, bangs, floral garland, day dress, second empire, brown silk

Evening Japon of Black Crepe Georgette and natural -colored machine side, long and slightly dragging, decorated with wrinkled strips of crepe Georgette, Anonymous, c. 1935 - c. 1939 Evening Japon of Black Crepe Georgette and Natural -colored, cotton machine side, long and slightly dragging, decorated with wrinkled strips of crepe Georgette. Model: Lock with taillen month in the front front in the middle ending in a point. From the point two smooth skirt buildings with a split in the middle in which pleated crepe Georgette. One smooth back that runs and ends in a bell pleat .. half -length sleeves, ending in a tunnel with wrinkled strip. Closure in the left -hand council by means of 14 metal hooks and trensjes of silk sewing cigars. Black silk lining, ran and with bell pleat in the side seam. Decoration: The upper part of the body - with a V -neck in the middle and a low back - consists of a machine side. A bow of double black crepe has been placed on the tip of the V-neck. The lobed ed

Corset mid-1880s American. Corset. American. mid-1880s. silk, cotton, metal

Suit 1833-35 American. Suit. American. 1833-35. silk, wool, cotton

Robe à la Française. Culture: French. Date: ca. 1770. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Evening cape. Culture: American. Date: 1894. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Veil with Russian Imperial Family Coat of Arms Made 1875-1900 Belgium. Cotton, needle lace of a type known as Point de Gaze .

Georgian eighteenth century fashion male and female costumes with permission of Chippenham museum, Wiltshire, England, UK

Vestidos, siglo XVIII. Museu Textil I D'Indumenta.

Dinner dress 1894-96 Mrs. Arnold American This is unusually simple in design yet elegant in its unbroken black satin. The dramatic shape is the quintessential style of the 1890s. This was made by a little known Brooklyn dressmaker.. Dinner dress 159197

mw. Andres-Van Embden, Dollhouse doll, papier-mché head with inlaid brown glass eyes, wooden forearms, fabric body and legs, dressed in ankle-length black skirt, reddish-brown bodice and blue-white checkered apron, doll model papier_maché wood glass leather plaster cotton linen tulle, sewn crochet textile Doll house doll representing kitchen maid in work clothes. Woman with papier-mché head and painted face with inlaid brown glass eyes. Long narrow hands of very light pink painted wood. The hair is painted and dull black in color. On the head hat of white piqué cotton with pleated strip with lace along the edges. The doll wears an ankle-length black satin ribbon in black cotton. On cotton caraco-like body with fitted section above the waist and widening from the hips at the center of the front. It is made of cotton with brown-red background with pattern of lilac white leaves. Over the skirt but under the hip part of the body shorter apron skirt of blue-white checkered cotton that cl

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