Evening dress
ca. 1880
Medium
silk
Classification
Evening dress
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 the estate of Miss S. E. White, 1939
Accession Number
2009.300.654
Art Historical Context
Step into the opulent world of 1880s American high society with this stunning evening dress by Wechsler & Abraham crafted around 1880 from luxurious silk. As a product of a prominent New York-based fashion house the gown exemplifies the refined craftsmanship of the Gilded Age, when elaborate evening attire was essential for balls, dinners, and social galas among the elite. Silk, the dress's shimmering medium was a hallmark of luxury in the late 19th century, prized for its drape, luster, and ability to catch the light in candlelit ballrooms. This choice not only highlighted the wearer's statu...