Costume and Textiles Wedding Dress: Two Bodices and Skirt Made in Paris, France, Europec. 1888 Corbay-Wenzel, Paris Cream-colored silk satin trimmed with glass pearls and silk chiffon Currently not on view 1968-98-1a--c Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Clifford, 1968 |
LabelCorbay-Wenzell was one of the most exclusive dressmaking houses in Paris. Founded in 1870 as A. Corbay, it took over the premises of 4 rue Menars from Maison Fauvet. The firm supplied many of the European courts with gowns including wedding dresses. In 1881, the Queen of the Netherlands gave the Duchess of Albany a gown from A. Corbay as a wedding present. In 1885, the firm moved to 2 rue Cambon and changed its name to Corbay-Wenzell. This dress is remarkably similar to one owned by Maria Fydorovna, the Danish-born wife of Russian Emperor Alexander III. It may have belonged to Marie Eustis, daughter of Senator James Biddle Eustis from Louisiana, who married her first cousin George Peabody Eustis in Washington, D.C., in 1888. The wedding dress was supplied with an additional short-sleeved, low-necked bodice for evening. |
