Evening Dress
c.1912
United States
New Canaan Museum & Historical Society
Dress
Madame Depret (Paris, France)
c.1870s
The three-piece pink faille gown with tulle dates back to c. 1870 and was donated by the estate of George L. Storm. The dress belonged to the donor’s grandmother, although whether paternal or maternal is unclear. The interior label reads “Mme Depret, Paris, FR.” Madame Depret was a respected dressmaker (c. 1860-1870) located at 11 Rue de Grammont, Paris. Her creations can now be found at institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
New Canaan Museum & Historical Society
Winter Ensemble
1880s
Anyone living in New England realizes that dressing in winter means dressing for warmth. A stylish few, however, somehow manage to combine warmth with elegance. This ensemble was purchased by Miss C. L. W. French of Roxbury and Boston, Massachusetts, from Mlle Lipman's establishment in Paris for the lavish sum of 1,600 francs. Miss French surely would have impressed anyone as she strolled along the Commonwealth Avenue mall or rode down Beacon Street in a sleigh.
The original bill and a photograph of one of Miss French's relatives wearing the dress in 1920 were also given to SPNEA. Along with the photographs, the donation included a program from a Suffrage Pageant in 1920. This tantalizing bit of evidence suggests that Miss French may have been a suffragette, for this dress was worn in 1920 by a relative at a celebration of the Nineteenth Amendment awarding women the vote.
Historic New England (Accession Number: 1990.507A-G)