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Afternoon Dress Rendered by Nancy Crimi (artist), 1935/1942 watercolor and graphite on paper overall: 44.5 x 35 cm (17 1/2 x 13 3/4 in.) Index of American Design 1943.8.2702 |
Object 20 of 26
Women's fashions changed somewhat about the time of the Civil War. Most noticeable is the transition in the shape of the skirt from the full circular style to one in which the fullness is at the back.
This two-piece, red silk "afternoon" dress has a cage-type skirt hoop to emphasize the fullness behind and includes a train at the floor to carry out the effect. Double sleeves were popular in the 1850s and 1860s; the idea was adapted from men's fashions where the shirt cuffs protruded beyond the sleeves of the jacket. Here the undersleeve, or "engageant," is of lace.
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