Dressing Gown
1878-1879
United States
Peabody Essex Museum (Object Number: 133939)
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THE GILDED AGE (2022-) + ART [6/∞]
🌸 Bertha Russell in S1E2 | Mrs Hugh Hammersley (1892) - John Singer Sargent
🌸 Madame Paul Poirson (1885) - John Singer Sargent | Marian Brook in S1E9
🌸 Maud Beaton in S2E2 | Before the Ball (c. 1870s) - Alfred Stevens
Dress inspo found by: @tomcraweley + @whartonists
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THE GILDED AGE (2022 - )
- Bertha and George Russell | 1.03 "Face the Music"
- Marian Brook and Larry Russell | 2.08 "In Terms of Winning and Losing"
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Elisabeth de Caraman-Chimay, Comtesse Greffulhe (1860–1952) made this dress famous by posing in it for the photographer Nadar in 1896. The museum also possesses the photographs made at the time, in which the elegant countess opted for being photographed in back view so as to highlight the slimness of her waist: this close-fitting 'princess line' dress – there were no seams at waist level – and the sinuous lines of the lily plants accentuate the impression of tallness and slenderness.
One of the leading figures on the Paris social scene – not only for her rank and sovereign elegance, but also for her culture and intelligence – Comtesse Greffulhe was a significant source of inspiration for Marcel Proust, who used her as the model for the Duchesse de Guermantes in Remembrance of Things Past. She was also the cousin of Robert de Montesquiou, who drew on her for some of his poems, including a sonnet whose closing line Beau lis qui regardez avec vos pistils noirs ('Beautiful lilies gazing with your black pistils') doubtless refers to this dress. The bertha collar, whose original form was altered, certainly during its owner's lifetime, could be turned up to form bat's wings; a bat being Montesquiou's emblematic animal, making this a true dress-poem.
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Boots
1865-1875
United States
The prevailing fashion for long skirts in the 19th century and the general importance of feminine propriety encouraged rather limited decoration of contemporary ladies' footwear. While ornate bows and embroidered vamps are relatively common on evening shoes, heavy soled walking shoes , like this pair of button boots, were seldom ornamented with anything more than a simple bow or buckle. By consequence, the presence here of an elaborate machine-embroidered design covering the entire upper is of particular interest. The beaded cordwork was applied over the embroidery, presumably by the wearer, to increase the decorative program even further, perhaps for a special event for which it was not possible to purchase shoes specifically.
The MET (Accession Number: 2009.300.1424a, b)
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