Empire Gown with Puffed Sleeves and Embroidered Front Panel (right)

This floor length gown with its smooth front skirt was in style around 1815. It takes on breadth in the back and ends in a short train. Two vertical borders of embroidery adorn the front centre. The short bodice is laid with fine pleats in the centre. Its wide, round neckline is accentuated by the tone-on-tone contrast of two narrow trim strips of the same fabric. Like the skirt and hem edge, the slit, puffed sleeves are likewise decorated with cotton embroidery in a floral pattern with abstract flower elements and palmettes. The gown is fastened at the rear neckline with a hook and eyelet and narrow ties at the waist.