Gown
ca. 1913 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This gown belonged to the famous Italian actor Eleonora Duse (1858-1924), noted for her association with the poet and playwright Gabriele d'Annunzio. Duse was a great friend of the designer Mariano Fortuny (1871-1949) and was known for the fact that she used very little make-up in an age where acting demanded dramatic costumes and disguise. Duse was the first woman to appear on the cover of Time magazine in July 1923.
The dress was purchased from Vitaldi Babani, a designer-importer who launched his business in 1895. His shop 'Babani' was situated at 98 Boulevard Haussman. Along with the designer Paul Poiret, Babani was licensed to sell Fortuny designs in Paris. In addition to retailing Fortuny designs, Babani sold Liberty textiles and produced fabrics and garments of his own design that bore the influence of these designers.
The dress was purchased from Vitaldi Babani, a designer-importer who launched his business in 1895. His shop 'Babani' was situated at 98 Boulevard Haussman. Along with the designer Paul Poiret, Babani was licensed to sell Fortuny designs in Paris. In addition to retailing Fortuny designs, Babani sold Liberty textiles and produced fabrics and garments of his own design that bore the influence of these designers.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silk crêpe, block printed with gold pigment, trimmed with glass beads |
| Brief description | Gown of silk crêpe, designed by Babani, Paris, ca. 1913 |
| Physical description | Gown of blue silk crêpe, loosely T-shaped, with gold block printed around the neckline and sleeves. There are red and blue striped Venetian glass beads around neckline. |
| Production type | Haute couture |
| Credit line | Given by Fr. Sebastian Bullough |
| Object history | There is also an identically printed and styled gown in collection, T.737-1972, in black silk velvet |
| Summary | This gown belonged to the famous Italian actor Eleonora Duse (1858-1924), noted for her association with the poet and playwright Gabriele d'Annunzio. Duse was a great friend of the designer Mariano Fortuny (1871-1949) and was known for the fact that she used very little make-up in an age where acting demanded dramatic costumes and disguise. Duse was the first woman to appear on the cover of Time magazine in July 1923. The dress was purchased from Vitaldi Babani, a designer-importer who launched his business in 1895. His shop 'Babani' was situated at 98 Boulevard Haussman. Along with the designer Paul Poiret, Babani was licensed to sell Fortuny designs in Paris. In addition to retailing Fortuny designs, Babani sold Liberty textiles and produced fabrics and garments of his own design that bore the influence of these designers. |
| Associated object | T.737-1972 (Design) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.735-1972 |
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| Record created | March 11, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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