Chemisette
Unknown Artist
1790–1805
Medium
Linen
Classification
Chemisette
Culture
British
Department
Costume Institute
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Augustus Graham School of Design Fund, 1976
Accession Number
2009.300.5869
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of late Georgian Britain with this delicate *Chemisette*, a finely crafted linen garment dating from 1790–1805. Produced by an unknown artist in the Costume Institute tradition, this piece exemplifies everyday fashion from a transformative era bridging the 18th and 19th centuries. Worn by women as a detachable neck and chest covering, chemisettes added modesty and versatility to low-neckline gowns, reflecting the neoclassical influences of the time inspired by ancient Greek and Roman styles. Historically, this period marked the rise of the Empire silhouette—high-wa...