Evening Dress thumbnail 1
Evening Dress thumbnail 2
+4
images
Not currently on display at the V&A

Evening Dress

c. 1810 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

By 1810, brightly coloured and embroidered silks were as popular as white cotton and muslin for women's evening dresses. John Heathcote's bobbinet machine, patented in 1809, enabled fine net to be easily produced in wide widths for dresses, which could be hand-embroidered to achieve individual and attractive effects. Net dresses were worn with underdresses of plain silk, sometimes white, or in a matching colour.

Chenille (French for caterpillar) is a type of thick thread made by a weaving process. Cotton or silk is woven into a length of cloth which is then cut into very narrow strips, the severed weft threads creating the tufts which give the yarn its velvety texture. The dense colour of chenille thread creates a contrasting effect with the ground fabric.

Fashion leaders such as Empress Josephine, Napoleon's first wife, helped to popularise dresses of machine net, or 'tulle', which was also produced in France. She owned many machine-made net dresses embroidered with silver or gold metal thread and spangles for formal court occasions.







Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Machine made silk net, embroidered with chenille thread, with silk ribbon, hand-sewn
Physical description
Dress of red silk machine-made net, with high waist, low neck and short, slightly gathered sleeves. The bodice is cut with side panels used on the cross, and fastens at the centre back with a narrow red silk ribbon at the waistline. The skirt is cut straight with additional fullness gathered at the centre back. It is hand stitched.

The neckband and sleeves and a v-shaped insertion in the bodice front are embroidered with a design of rosebud garlands worked in pink, red and green chenille. This embroidery is repeated at the hem, with a wider trail of roses and rosebuds.

Before the dress was donated, it apparently had a red under-dress which was not brought to the Museum because it was 'very perished'.
Dimensions
  • Waist circumference: 34in
  • Neck to waist length: 6in
  • Waist to hem length: 44in
Taken from registered description
Gallery label
Dress About 1810 Napoleon’s imperial court revived the etiquette of dress from before the Revolution. High-waisted gowns continued in vogue, using a variety of fabrics suited to the formality of different occasions. White muslin was worn in informal dress and lustrous silk for formal events. Machine-made net, or tulle, proved an ideal ground for hand-embroidery in contrasting silk, metal thread and spangles, or, as here, in tufted chenille thread. Tulle was a new product manufactured in England and France. Probably England Machine-made silk net, embroidered with chenille thread Given by Mrs George Atkinson and Mrs M.F. Davey (09/12/2015)
Credit line
Given by Mrs George Atkinson and Mrs M. F. Davey
Summary
By 1810, brightly coloured and embroidered silks were as popular as white cotton and muslin for women's evening dresses. John Heathcote's bobbinet machine, patented in 1809, enabled fine net to be easily produced in wide widths for dresses, which could be hand-embroidered to achieve individual and attractive effects. Net dresses were worn with underdresses of plain silk, sometimes white, or in a matching colour.

Chenille (French for caterpillar) is a type of thick thread made by a weaving process. Cotton or silk is woven into a length of cloth which is then cut into very narrow strips, the severed weft threads creating the tufts which give the yarn its velvety texture. The dense colour of chenille thread creates a contrasting effect with the ground fabric.

Fashion leaders such as Empress Josephine, Napoleon's first wife, helped to popularise dresses of machine net, or 'tulle', which was also produced in France. She owned many machine-made net dresses embroidered with silver or gold metal thread and spangles for formal court occasions.





Bibliographic references
  • Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion, edited by Lesley Ellis Miller and Ana Cabrera Lafuente with Claire Allen-Johnstone, Thames and Hudson Ltd. in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom, 2021, p. 436-437
  • Miller, Lesley Ellis, and Ana Cabrera Lafuente, with Claire Allen-Johnstone, eds. Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2021. ISBN 978-0-500-48065-6. This object features in the publication Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion (2021)
Collection
Accession number
T.194-1958

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

Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest