c. 1878-1880

Woman's Two-Piece Day Dress: Bodice and Skirt

During the late nineteenth century, American women flocked to Charles Frederick Worth's salon. The couturier cultivated the persona of an artist, modeling his image on that of Rembrandt, complete with a beret, a floppy, knotted silk scarf at the neck, and a loose, fur-trimmed coat. A contemporary, George Augustus Sala, described Worth as a man "who combines the suavity of a Granville, the diplomatic address of Metternich, the firmness of a Wellington, and the prompt coup d'oeil of a Napoleon."