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The dress seen from behind. -
The front of the dress. -
The front hem of the dress with wool thread tambour embroidery. -
The shawl is made from a thin, sparsely woven cotton fabric, with fine wool yarn tambour embroidery.
Dress with shawl, about 1810
At the start of the 19th century, Europe was much affected by the French Emperor Napoleon’s campaigns across Egypt and Italy. The so-called ‘Empire style’ became the height of fashion. Interiors, fashion and ideals were inspired by ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. The female shape was supposed to look like an antique column.
This is a straight cut, empire-line dress, meaning that the waistline is cut below the bust. It has wool thread tambour embroidery. It has been imported from France, either as a finished dress or in pre-embroidered and pre-cut pieces that were then sewn together in Sweden.
Shawls became popular during the Empire period and were increasingly used in the subsequent decades.
This one is made from a thin, loosely woven cotton fabric, with fine wool yarn tambour embroidery.
Material
Dress: Cotton, wool
Shawl: Cotton, wool
Length
Dress: 140cm
Shawl: 27 cm, 58 cm
Technique
Dress: Tambour embroidery
Shawl: Tambour embroidery
Inventory number
Dress: KM 9213
Shawl: KM 86167