Tea gowns were originally designed in the 1870s as easy, comfortable garments appropriate for a woman to wear for tea with family and friends in the home, but they became increasingly elaborate and fitted. By the 1890s they combined exotic fabrics and historical references, and were worn for public appearances, such as dinner parties.

This example is very much a hybrid of influences and materials. The richly embroidered front panel of this gown was probably made in India but was designed to appeal to European taste, and it is complimented by the generous falls of Limerick lace. From the back, a long pleat of lace drops from the neck to the hem, a style known at the time as the Watteau pleat, after the dresses seen in paintings by the eighteenth-century painter.