Walking dress
Medium
silk, glass
Classification
Walking 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 Mrs. C. M. Andrews, 1951
Accession Number
2009.300.771a, b
Art Historical Context
This elegant walking dress, created around 1885 by Charles Frederick Worth and the House of Worth, represents the pinnacle of 19th-century French haute couture. As the founder of the modern fashion house system, Worth transformed dressmaking into an art form, designing bespoke garments for European royalty and American elites. The silk fabric, paired with delicate glass accents, reflects the era’s emphasis on luxurious materials and intricate detailing suited for daytime promenade wear. Historically, this piece captures the late Victorian period’s evolving silhouettes, where structured forms ...