#circa 1886

Wedding dress, c.1886

Off-white silk faille and netting trimmed with silk braid, pearls, and beads in floral design.

While the museum gives the date for this dress as 1886, the bodice shown with the skirt looks distinctly 1890s to me. It makes me wonder if the bodice pictured separately was original to the dress and the bodice shown with the skirt was made later so the wearer could wear the garment with an updated silhouette. (I'm not an expert, just pondering!)

Berry red, indeed! This holly holiday ensemble dates from 1886, and is by Selina Cadwallader, who sadly also died the same year at only 50 years old. Originally from Ireland, no one is really sure how Selina made her way to Ohio, but by 1870 she was making dresses and running a board house. Although her husband had a variety of jobs, it's thought he perhaps struggled to support the family and therefore, Selina's work helped make ends meet.

Whatever the cause, she became highly respected among the upper class elite of Cincinnati, and even worked on a Worth dress at one point at the request of a client.

This gown is very typical of the silhouette of her 1880s work, and is in a vivid red silk that still jumps off the page. I love the monochrome approach, focusing on the color and not overdoing it with anything more. The delicate neckline cutaway florals absolutely take this gown over the top for me.

requested by: @forty-two-point-five

request: 1870s or 1880s ensembles with bustles