Two-piece lady's afternoon dress of light blue silk damask with japonesque chrysanthemum pattern. Embellished with lace and floral silk ribbon. Worn by First Lady Frances Folsom Cleveland (1864-1947) in her portrait photographs by Frances Benjamin in 1887. Originally made in the 1880s, this dress was altered by either Barton or the First Lady in the…

Dress

Description

Two-piece lady's afternoon dress of light blue silk damask with japonesque chrysanthemum pattern. Embellished with lace and floral silk ribbon. Worn by First Lady Frances Folsom Cleveland (1864-1947) in her portrait photographs by Frances Benjamin in 1887. Originally made in the 1880s, this dress was altered by either Barton or the First Lady in the late 1890s to keep up with the changing fashionable silhouette. This tendency to alter and re-wear clothing was a trademark of First Lady Frances Cleveland, who defied the trend of so many prominent women in that time to wear a gown only a handful of times.

Creator

unknown

Date

1895-1900

Materials

Silk damask, machine lace, silk taffeta, silk satin, metal

Dimensions

Bodice: 18 inches (length - neck to waist), 36 inches (bust), 34 inches (waist), 16 inches (shoulder); Skirt: 43 inches (length), 30 inches (waist)

Object ID

1978.111.1a,b

Accession Number

1978.111

Resource ID

214

Notes

Worn by First Lady Frances Folsom Cleveland

Credit Line

Gift of George M. Cleveland

Digital Publisher

Digital resource provided by the Maryland Center for History and Culture

Rights

This digital image is made available here for private study, scholarship, and research. Commercial and other uses are prohibited without the permission of the Maryland Center for History and Culture. For more information, visit the MCHC’s Reproductions and Permissions web page.