Dress
A late 19th-century long dress of off-white cotton with red embroidery only at the cuffs and neckline, distinguished by its wide, flaring sleeves. Full commentary ↓
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Dress is a textile by an unknown maker (late 19th century) in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It measures 132.1 cm.
In the pictureAn ankle-length dress of off-white cotton is shown on a mannequin. The front has a narrow opening with buttons, there is a band of red embroidery around the neckline, and embroidered panels on a red ground are attached at the ends of the wide, flaring sleeves. The ground cloth bears the stains of age.
BackgroundA simple rectangular cut with only the sleeves flared wide is the basic form of women's dress in the Middle East and the Palestine region. Concentrating the embroidery at the cuffs and neckline is a practical way to save cloth while decorating the places that catch the eye in movement, and the colors and patterns of the embroidery could identify a village or family.
Puzzle tipMost of the pieces are off-white, so the red embroidery pieces are the only color clue. Fit the embroidered panels at the two cuffs and the neckline band first, make a frame with the mannequin's neck and the dress's outer outline, then fill the off-white pieces by the shadows of the folds. 48 pieces is recommended.
- Classification
- Main dress-Womenswear
- Medium
- cotton
- Dimensions
- 132.1 cm
- Credit line
- Gift of Mrs. M. A. Gordon, 1948
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
Stories about this work
- Six 19th-Century Women's Dresses from the Islamic World: Same Cut, Different Embroidery
The same cut of joined rectangular cloth, with only the embroidery differing from dress to dress. Women's clothing of the 19th-century Islamic world seen through four black dresses, an ensemble and a vest.
