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The two day dresses on the left are held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (far left: CI 26.233.7ab with petticoat CI 26.265.48;center: CI 60.26.3ab). The dress on the right is privately owned by the collector Lillian Williams. The description in The Age of Napoleon: Costume from Revolution to Empire, 1789-1815, edited by Katell le Bourhis et al. (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1989) reads: "Day dresses of block-printed cotton such as these were worn during the Directoire for everyday wear and country promenades. Characteristically they were embellished with many accessories, from embroidered fichus and reticules to pointed slippers and straw hats " (63). The center dress and the hooded wrap or Coqueluchon, below, are made of the same fabric of dark green covered with pink printed flowers. In the photo below, the dress and wrap are shown together, which, unfortunately, makes it difficult to distinguish between the two. It is, however, a short cloak. The dark green satin petticoat shown in the two photos is a good match for the print. The combinations on the far left, however, are offensive. While period fashion plates do show many odd combinations of color and prints, this combination seems a bit extreme. The lovely rose dress on the right worn with rose stockings, a white fichu, and a straw hat is the most elegant ensemble of the three. |
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This coqueluchon is privately owned by the collector Lillian Williams. |
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