Ensemble
Unknown Artist
1885
Medium
silk, cotton, leather, metal, wood
Classification
Ensemble
Culture
American
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; Gift of Rose Marie Foley, 1966
Accession Number
2009.300.3293a–f
Art Historical Context
Step into the opulent world of 1880s American fashion with this *Ensemble*, crafted around 1885 by an artist. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, this piece from the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection showcases a harmonious blend of luxurious materials: silk and cotton for fluid fabrics, leather and metal for accents, and wood for subtle structural elements. Such combinations were hallmarks of high-society attire, reflecting the era's emphasis on both elegance and functionality. The late 19th century marked the Gilded Age in America, a time of rapid industrialization...