French Empire Wedding Dress
Date: Circa 1804-1805
This circa 1804-05 evening dress, owned by Baltimore socialite Elizabeth Patterson, who suffered an ill-fated marriage to the brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, represents the popular French Empire style that rippled through American fashion systems in the early nineteenth century. The Grecian-inspired loose drapery, puffed sleeves, low neckline, high waistline, and light-colored, very sheer fabric with delicate cotton embroidery replicated the French Empress Josephine’s famous style.
Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Gifts in memory of Elizabeth N. Lawrence, 1983