Visiting dress
Unknown Artist
1845–50
Medium
silk
Classification
Visiting 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 Annie M. Colson, 1929
Accession Number
2009.300.630
Art Historical Context
Step into the refined world of mid-19th-century American with this exquisite *Visiting dress*, crafted around 1845–50 from luxurious silk. Produced during a time when the United States was embracing Victorian influences from Europe, such garments were essential for upper- and middle-class women making formal social calls—outdoor "visiting" durable yet elegant attire suitable for horse-drawn carriages and parlor conversations. Silk, a prized imported fabric, symbolized wealth and sophistication, often hand-woven or dyed to achieve its signature sheen and drape. This medium allowed for intricat...