Open robe (detail). Ivory silk taffeta, brocaded with flowers

A 19th-century imitation of an 18th-century open robe using original fabric (c1745). The term 'open robe' refers to a gown which is open at the front, revealing a matching petticoat and stomacher. This dress may have been worn at the Georgian-themed costumed ball, or 'Bal Poudré', that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert held in 1845