Ball Gown
ca. 1820 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Women saved their most elaborate dresses for special occasions such as balls. Lavish gowns embellished with gold thread or sparkling beads glittered in the artificial light of the dancing room. Thin, gauzy materials created a soft dreamy look. These light materials also prevented the wearer from getting too hot while dancing in stuffy, overcrowded spaces.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silk satin and silk net embroidered with metal and trimmed with silk blonde bobbin lace, hand sewn |
| Brief description | Ball gown of embroidered net, Great Britain, ca. 1820. |
| Physical description | Short-sleeved ball gown comprising of an underdress of silk satin and an overdress of machine-made silk net embroidered with metal and trimmed with blonde bobbin lace. The dress has a low oval neckline, puffed short sleeves, a wedge shaped front bodice panel and a medium high waist. The skirt has a central front panel, wedge shaped panels and the centre back panels are tightly gathered at the waist. The lining is padded at the hem with a frill of blond stitched to cover. It fastens with a tape at the neck and hooks at the centre back. |
| Summary | Women saved their most elaborate dresses for special occasions such as balls. Lavish gowns embellished with gold thread or sparkling beads glittered in the artificial light of the dancing room. Thin, gauzy materials created a soft dreamy look. These light materials also prevented the wearer from getting too hot while dancing in stuffy, overcrowded spaces. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.196-1975 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | March 23, 2005 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
