Dress 1898-1900 Wool trimmed with silk Label ‘James Mc Ewen & Co Perth’ This two piece wool day dress shows a strong influence of the international art movement Art Nouveau in its design. Unlike the evening dress that takes Art Nouveau characteristics of highly stylised natural forms to create visual impact, it employs the non-representational dynamism of sinuous lines that were also typical of the movement, and of the work of Scottish architect and designer Charles Rennie Macintosh and his Glasgow associates during the 1890s. This dynamism is most evident on the front of the dress. The collar, composed of alternating bands of wool and cream silk forms a radiating frame to the face. A series of fine black and cream silk stripes on the bodice follow and accentuate the fashionable curves of the bust and waist created by the corset beneath; the skirt continues the rhythm of the stripes as they sweep down and around to the back on each side. The back of the dress is more subtle and graceful – an elongated V-shape leads the eye down the bodice to the narrow waist and the mirror image extended S shapes of its lower edge; a single pair of stripes down the centre back diverges to border the hem above a flounce separately cut from a full circle on each side. #history #museumcollection #antiquetextile #instamuseum #museumoninstagram #antiquewool #historicaldress #costumehistory #fashion #historicalfashion #historicalclothing #dresshistory #fashionhistory #historicalcostume #fashionhistorian #19thcentury #19thcenturyfashion Source: The John Bright Collection https://www.instagram.com/p/B-ah9uaA3X4/?igshid=1a6jnnp01knj7
