Unknown Maker, French

This silver and beige lace chemise is embellished overall with brillant emerald-colored glass beads and gems. When worn, the panels would have floated away from the body at the hip, resolving in a layered hemlinethat, with the glass embellishments, would have added dynamic visual energy. The geometric design of the lace ground was created utilizing raschel knit lace, an economical machine-made alternative to handmade lace. The styling-particularly the lamé central band and the hip girdle embellished with palm motifs-recalls the Egyptian revival in 1920s design. According to the donors, this dress was worn by German opera singer Frieda Hempel (1885-1955).