The Victorian businessman’s uniform consisted of a severe, dark woolen suit that didn’t show the grime of the dirty city. His at-home wear was much different in part because the house was a private sphere—a feminine and highly decorative respite from the harried outside world. This vibrant robe of fancy stitches and silk appliqués forming abstract vegetation and paisley motifs was possibly embroidered by the lady of the house as a showpiece of her domestic skills and a token of devotion for her husband.