Dress

Madame Elise

ca. 1878

Dress by Madame Elise

Medium

silk, cotton, metal

Classification

Dress

Culture

British

Department

Costume Institute

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Gift of Mary Pierrepont Beckwith, 1969

Accession Number

C.I.69.14.11a, b

Art Historical Context

Step into the elegance of Victorian high society with this exquisite *Dress* by Madame Elise, crafted around 1878. Renowned British dressmaker Madame Elise specialized in luxurious garments for the elite, and this piece exemplifies the opulence of the era's fashion. Made from shimmering silk, soft cotton, and metallic accents—likely buttons or trims—it reflects the technical mastery of 19th-century couture, where hand-sewn details and fine fabrics created wearable art. In the late Victorian period, dresses like this embodied the era's emphasis on the bustle silhouette, hourglass figures, and ...

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