Dinner or Evening Dress

This elegant two-piece evening ensemble, dating to the 1880s, belonged to Adelaide Frick. The plush dark velvet is trimmed with cream-colored silk that is heavily beaded in a floral motif. The gown bears a tag from Lewis and Allenby, a prominent mercer (textile dealer) and dressmaker founded in the 1820s in London, England. Lewis and Allenby earned a reputation for high quality as they designed clothing for the British Royal Family and also supplied them with silks and other fine textiles.