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Evening dress, late 1850s

This is a two-piece evening dress. It was worn with a crinoline for fullness. The crinoline was popular from 1855 to the late 1860s. They were light and cheap. Thanks to the crinoline, heavy and expensive petticoats were no longer needed.

As of the 1850s, wealthy women took to changing their dress several times a day. Mornings, afternoons, dinners and balls – each called for its own special dress. Often, two bodices were created for the same skirt, one for daytime and one for evening.

A two-piece evening dress in striped silk taffeta with velvet ribbons. The dress, which features the deep bateau neckline popular at the time, was worn with a crinoline underneath the skirt. This dress belonged to the wife of a professor in Lund.

Material

Silk

Length

Bodice 34 cm, skirt 114 cm

Technique

Taffeta, velvet

Inventory number

KM 35957