Woman's Dress (Open Robe à la française and Petticoat)
Artist/maker unknown, American and French
Geography:
Made in Lyon, France, Europe
And made in United States, North and Central America
Date:
Silk: 1760-65; Dress: original c. 1760-65, altered late 1770-80Medium:
Silk tobine (cannelé) brocaded with colored silksDimensions:
Center Back Length: 73 inches (185.4 cm) Waist: 25 inches (63.5 cm)Curatorial Department:
Costume and TextilesObject Location:
1955-98-6a,bCredit Line:
Gift of Thomas Francis Cadwalader, 1955
Made in Lyon, France, Europe
And made in United States, North and Central America
Date:
Silk: 1760-65; Dress: original c. 1760-65, altered late 1770-80Medium:
Silk tobine (cannelé) brocaded with colored silksDimensions:
Center Back Length: 73 inches (185.4 cm) Waist: 25 inches (63.5 cm)Curatorial Department:
Costume and TextilesObject Location:
Currently not on view
Accession Number:1955-98-6a,bCredit Line:
Gift of Thomas Francis Cadwalader, 1955
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This dress is believed to have been worn by Ann Willing Francis (1733-1812), wife of prominent lawyer and Federalist Tench Francis, Jr. (1730-1800) of Philadelphia, whom she married in 1762. Ann was the daughter of Charles Willing, a successful Philadelphia merchant who traded in textiles and other items, a founder of the University of Pennsylvania, and mayor of Philadelphia in 1748 and 1754. This dress was altered several times, including for fancy-dress occasions, during the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.
