Panel

In spite of the fact that many French silks were up to two thirds more expensive than their rivals, their unrivalled place in high fashion led their export to increased fourfold in the 1840s and 1850s, with one quarter going to Britain and one quarter to the United States of America. The skills of the designer and weaver of this piece, with its delicate scrolls and flowers, woven to form the front panel of a wide crinoline skirt, typify the high quality which was often achieved.