Cape

Art Historical Context

This elegant silk cape, crafted in the late 1870s by the Boston firm R. H. White & Co., offers a window into American fashion during theilded Age. As a department store retailer rather than an individual designer, R. H. White & Co. supplied ready-to-wear and custom garments to middle- and upper-class women, reflecting the growing accessibility of stylish clothing through urban retail. The lightweight silk material, prized for its sheen and drape, was ideal for outerwear that combined practicality with refined elegance. In the broader historical context, such capes were popular accessories in the 1870s, often worn over dresses featuring the era’s characteristic bustles and fitted bodices. They provided modest coverage while allowing the wearer to display quality fabrics and subtle embellishments. Now part of the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute, this piece—generously gifted by Miss Mabel Poillon in 1940—helps preserve the story of everyday American style and the textile industry’s role in shaping 19th-century identity.