"The Tea Party" by Henry Sargent
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This unusual painting by the great portrait artist shows us fashion in play at a party. The men are uniformly in white stockings and black dress coats, a sign that the death of colors and embroidery for men so frequently associated with the Victorian age actually begin earlier. The women's clothing shows a great deal a variety. Some gowns have demi- trains, others do not. Some women were turbans or toques; others clearly have on hats, caps, wreaths , or hair ornaments such as combs or tiaras. As this is a "tea party" it seems likely the women are in "half-dress" the most fluid category of dress, dress worn in the afternoon and through the dinner hour.
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