Chemise with Train

In the wake of the French Revolution clothes of Greek-Roman antiquity became a model for fashionable. Fine white cotton, a high waist and the renunciation of artificially shaping undergarments are all characteristic of women’s fashion during the period from 1795 to 1815. The abundance of this one-piece chemise was laid in narrow decorative folds the back in that merge into the width of the skirt. The narrow binding strips at waist level are affixed to two overspun ball buttons by means of which the open front gown is tied beneath the breast. The high back, medium-length sleeves and the fullness of the skirt date the gown to between 1795 and 1800. The cotton muslin, presumably produced for the European market in India, has delicate interwoven stripes with ascending, embroidered vines and scattered flowers in between.