Silk gauze evening dress, c. 1855-60

c. 1855-1860

Gift of Jane M. Gincig and Patricia Larson Kalayjian

S2011.1087.189

With a low, curved neckline and short sleeves, this silk gauze dress was meant for evening. Day dresses of this era featured long sleeves and modest necklines, but evening dresses featured alluringly low-cut necklines that exposed neck, shoulders, arms, and décolletage. The bodice is shaped by vertical bust darts and interior boning. As was typical of 1850s evening bodices, it fastens at center back with a hook and eye closure.

The museum at FIDM