Evening dress
Medium
silk
Classification
Evening dress
Culture
French
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 General William G. Bates, 1944
Accession Number
2009.300.2740a, b
Art Historical Context
This exquisite evening dress, created around 1892 by the House of Worth—founded by British-born couturier Charles Frederick Worth and continued by his son Jean-—exemplifies the pinnacle of French haute couture during the Belle Époque. The House of Worth revolutionized fashion by introducing made-to-measure gowns for Europe's elite, including royalty like Empress Eugénie, blending artistry with innovation. By the 1890s, their designs featured dramatic silhouettes with fitted bodices, voluminous skirts, and lavish embellishments, reflecting the era's opulent social scene of balls and operas. Cr...
About the Artist
Jean-Philippe Worth|Charles Frederick Worth|House of Worth (French|French) · 1858 |1856 –1956 |1926
French, 1858–1956|French, 1856–1926