Night
Fancy Dress Costume Design
1860s (made)
1860s (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This design was created by Jules Helleu, possibly for Charles Frederick Worth. This costume probably represents Night as it is in grey and midnight blue with silver stars and Roman numerals for the night hours around the skirt. The nocturnal theme is further suggested by an owl's head and wings which catch up the overskirt at one side, exposing the numeral XII, or twelve, for midnight.
During the 1860s, Empress Eugenie of France threw a number of extravagant masquerade balls which required the guests to wear elaborate and inventive costumes that were made up by Worth and other Paris dressmakers. Worth, a relative newcomer, became the Empress's favoured couturier at the end of the 1850s. This made him extremely fashionable, and the rest of the ladies of Eugenie's court also bought gowns from him - and so too did their husbands' mistresses, and anyone wealthy enough to afford Worth's very high prices. As a result, Worth was under great pressure to produce vast numbers of unique, one of a kind costumes and gowns, often at very short notice. This is one of a large number of similar designs and sketches that were given to the V&A as part of the archive and reference collection of the House of Worth, making it extremely likely that it was originally designed for a guest to wear to one of the Empress's magnificent balls.
During the 1860s, Empress Eugenie of France threw a number of extravagant masquerade balls which required the guests to wear elaborate and inventive costumes that were made up by Worth and other Paris dressmakers. Worth, a relative newcomer, became the Empress's favoured couturier at the end of the 1850s. This made him extremely fashionable, and the rest of the ladies of Eugenie's court also bought gowns from him - and so too did their husbands' mistresses, and anyone wealthy enough to afford Worth's very high prices. As a result, Worth was under great pressure to produce vast numbers of unique, one of a kind costumes and gowns, often at very short notice. This is one of a large number of similar designs and sketches that were given to the V&A as part of the archive and reference collection of the House of Worth, making it extremely likely that it was originally designed for a guest to wear to one of the Empress's magnificent balls.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Night (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | watercolour and pencil drawing |
Brief description | Woman's masquerade ball dress. "Night". Watercolour drawing by Jules Helleu, probably for Charles Frederick Worth. Paris, 1860s. |
Physical description | Watercolour drawing, a design for a theatrical or masquerade fancy-dress ball costume. A dark blue short crinoline skirt and corsage with silver stars and Roman numerals around the hem, grey overskirt draped and caught up at the side over VII (twelve, or midnight) with an owl's head and wings. |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Given by the House of Worth |
Summary | This design was created by Jules Helleu, possibly for Charles Frederick Worth. This costume probably represents Night as it is in grey and midnight blue with silver stars and Roman numerals for the night hours around the skirt. The nocturnal theme is further suggested by an owl's head and wings which catch up the overskirt at one side, exposing the numeral XII, or twelve, for midnight. During the 1860s, Empress Eugenie of France threw a number of extravagant masquerade balls which required the guests to wear elaborate and inventive costumes that were made up by Worth and other Paris dressmakers. Worth, a relative newcomer, became the Empress's favoured couturier at the end of the 1850s. This made him extremely fashionable, and the rest of the ladies of Eugenie's court also bought gowns from him - and so too did their husbands' mistresses, and anyone wealthy enough to afford Worth's very high prices. As a result, Worth was under great pressure to produce vast numbers of unique, one of a kind costumes and gowns, often at very short notice. This is one of a large number of similar designs and sketches that were given to the V&A as part of the archive and reference collection of the House of Worth, making it extremely likely that it was originally designed for a guest to wear to one of the Empress's magnificent balls. |
Bibliographic reference | Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings Accessions 1957-1958 London: HMSO, 1964 |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.22060-1957 |
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Record created | June 30, 2009 |
Record URL |
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