Dress fabric

This striking brocaded silk was designed to be made up into one of the wide-skirted gowns of the 1740s. Bold patterns of this kind were overtly fashionable, and as such were more likely to date quickly than simple sprigged silks. The golden scrolls and cartouches are Rococo in style, and show the powerful influence of French silk design upon the manufacture of silks in London.

Although laborious, the technique of brocading allowed different colours to be introduced into a design in very specific areas, without the wastage of full-width coloured weft threads. This resulted in a greater number of colours being used, creating a livelier and more vibrant textile.