Ball gown
Clothes for Women
Inventory number
2019.1.21.2ac.CW.DR.C1865.FRDescription
Purple silk evening dress with black Chantilly lace consisting of a long sleeved caraco mantle, a top, decorated with black colour rhinestones, and a crinoline skirt.The intense purple color of this dress is due to the fortuitous discovery of William Henry Perkin. Then aged 18, he was working on a synthetic form of quinine, in order to find an anti-malarial substance, for a contest launched by his professor August Wilhelm von Hofmann. Unsuccessful, he will not be able to synthesize quinine, however, while trying to scour the oxidized aniline, which had produced a black solid, with a solution of alcohol, he noticed that this tarry paste, gave a violet solution. He quickly found another use, less medical, but very effective as a dye for wool or silk.
Materials
SilkCotton
Chantilly lace
Rhinestones
Origin
circa 1865 FranceExhibitions History
• 2019.07.14 - 2019.08.31 - "Resort elegance - Vichy 1852-1870", Palais des congrès, Vichy, France• 2019.08.30–2019.10.06. ‘Ball invitation. 1852–1870 (Invitation au Bal. 1852–1870). From Alexandre Vassiliev foundation collection.’ Castle of Querrieu, Amiens, France. Catalogue.
• 2019.10.24–2020.03.28. ‘The Crinoline Lady. From Alexandre Vassiliev foundation collection.’ Fashion Museum, Riga, Latvia.
• 2021.09.17–2021.11.14. ‘To Play To The Gallery. Fashion And Portrait.’ Together with Museum of Art and History, Geneva, Switzerland. Museum of Art and History, Palatine’s room, Geneva, Switzerland.