Ensemble
A mid-19th-century woman's folk costume made up of a white headscarf, a red vest, and a blue striped skirt, with a strong contrast among its three colors. Full commentary ↓
Couldn't load the puzzle image.
Turn on piece outlines to see piece positions on this picture too
Drag the pieces into place · When zoomed in, drag an empty spot to move around
You can also play with a keyboard — Tab to the board, thenSpace pick a piece, Arrow keys move it (with Shift for small steps),Esc deselect, R rotate a piece (Shift+R the other way)
Ensemble is a textile by an unknown maker (third quarter 19th century) in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It measures 55.9 cm.
In the pictureThe mannequin wears a white headscarf and a red vest over a white blouse, with a skirt of blue and brown vertical stripes below. The skirt has a black velvet band at the hem, and a small apron hangs at the waist. The sleeves are wide.
BackgroundPairing a white headscarf with a striped skirt is a form seen in 19th-century rural women's dress in many parts of Europe, where the color and width of the stripes indicated the region. The red vest marked festive dress, and the black velvet band both strengthened the hem of the skirt and served as decoration. The materials are split among cotton, wool, and silk because each part was made separately.
Puzzle tipWhite, red, and blue divide clearly into three zones, which makes it a good one to do with children. Fit the red vest and the white headscarf first, and join the striped skirt pieces by the direction of the stripes. Fill in the gray background last. 48 or 100 pieces suits it.
- Classification
- Main dress-Womenswear
- Medium
- cotton, wool, silk
- Dimensions
- 55.9 cm
- Credit line
- Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Florence A. Williams, 1958
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
Stories about this work
- From Headscarf to Apron: Five Layered European Women's Folk Costumes
Headscarves, vests, striped skirts and aprons. Nineteenth-century European women's folk dress assembled from separate parts, plus a jacket and dress photographed together in one picture.
Puzzles to try next
More European Embroidery & Costume puzzles· Stories and puzzle tips