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Unknown Maker

Evening dress

Maker

Unknown Maker

Title

Evening dress

Year

1735-1785

Medium

  • silk,
  • plain weave taffeta

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Silk,
  • plain weave taffeta

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of the estate of Margarethe L. Dwight

Object Number

66.016.5

Type

  • Costume

Exhibition History

Dress, Art, and Society
1750-1890
Sep 13, 1996 – Jan 05, 1997

Label copy

Colonial Americans looked to the English for fashionable dress styles and those who could afford it, actually imponed their fabrics from England. Because silk fabrics were extremely expensive, dresses were often altered and retrimmed to keep up with the latest fashion. Even this dress, worn by a member of a well-to-do Rhode Island family, has been changed. Pin pricks throughout the bodice front and skin indicate multiple alterations.

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Tombstone

Unknown Maker
Evening dress, 1735-1785
Silk, plain weave taffeta
Gift of the estate of Margarethe L. Dwight 66.016.5

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

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