Worth sketch collection, 1918

Finding aid prepared by Celia Hartmann

This finding aid was generated using Archivists' Toolkit on March 09, 2018

The Costume Institute's Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library The Metropolitan Museum of Art 1000 Fifth Avenue New York, NY, 10028 [email protected] Worth sketch collection, 1918

Table of Contents

Summary Information ...... 3 Historical note...... 4 Scope and Contents note...... 4 Arrangement note...... 5 Administrative Information ...... 5 Related Materials ...... 5 Controlled Access Headings...... 6 Collection Inventory...... 7 Series I. Individual Mounted Sketches...... 7 Series II. Sketch Album...... 8

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Summary Information

Repository The Costume Institute's Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library

Title Worth sketch collection, 1918

Dates 1918

Extent 0.5 Linear feet : 1 document case

Language English

Abstract The collection consists of two sets of hand-colored lithographs of dress and blouse designs by House of Worth, including those mailed to an American potential customer in 1918, exemplifying the firm's aggressive marketing of garments at the time of reduced purchasing of luxury items in Europe

Preferred Citation note [Title of item], [date of item], Box [number], Folder [number], Worth sketch collection, The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library at The Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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Historical note

English-born Charles Frederick Worth immigrated to in 1845 and dominated Parisian in the second half of the nineteenth century, after opening his own firm there in 1858. His success was due in part to the restoration of French royalty during the Second Empire under Napoleon III, and Worth’s patronage by Empress Eugenie and her court. His penchant for self-promotion earned him such titles as “father of ” and “the first couturier”. After Worth’s death in 1895, his sons Gaston-Lucien and Jean- Philippe continued to follow their father’s aesthetic in designing gowns in sumptuous fabrics with lavish embellishment. For details of Worth’s life and a history of the House of Worth, consult Krick, Jessa. “ Charles Frederick Worth (1825–1895) and the House of Worth.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. (October 2004) The album’s contents exemplify House of Worth’s aggressive marketing of its products to wealthy American potential clients at a time of severe disruption of European sales of garments. The mailing envelope is postmarked in March and April 1918, when war in Europe would have significantly curtailed purchases by Worth’s usual clients there. For detailed information on the sketches’ genesis and their role in the evolution of modern international fashion marketing, consult DePauw, K. M., Jenkins, J. D. The House of Worth: Fashion sketches, 1916-1918. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2015.

Scope and Contents note

The collection consists of two sets of hand-colored lithographs of dress and blouse designs by House of Worth: a set of eighteen images each mounted on kraft paper pages removed from an album, with a mailing envelope; and a set of seventeen board-mounted images on paper that is embossed “House of Worth/ Paris London”. Most have penciled descriptions in either English or French on the recto and include swatches of fabrics and trims. The mounted images are accompanied by small envelopes created later to contain the swatches, which have been rehoused. Swatches are sewn onto the upper right corner of each album page. The latter are stamped “Priere de renvoyer ce dessin” [Please return this drawing]. The album’s envelope is addressed to Mrs. Percy Rivington Pyne, whose daughter Mary Percy Pyne (Mrs. Oliver D. Filley) donated the materials to the Metropolitan Museum. It is not evident from the records when or by whom the images were mounted and collected in the original album. On the verso of each board-mounted image is a label printed with “Textile Study Room/ The Library of the Metropolitan Museum of Art”. Each original

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swatch envelope bears a similar label. It is also not evident from the records when or by whom the images were mounted on board.

Arrangement note

The collection is arranged in two series: Series I. Individual Mounted Sketches, and Series II. Sketch Album.

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Access note The collection is open for research; materials are stored offsite and advance notice of 48 hours is required.

Conditions Governing Use note Copyright restrictions apply. Consult Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library staff regarding permission to quote or reproduce.

Provenance The album was donated by Mary Percy Pyne (Mrs. Oliver D. Filley), daughter of Mrs. Percy Rivington Pyne to whom the album's original envelope is addressed.

Processing Information note Descriptions in English that are within quotation marks are original to the materials. All other English translations are by the processing archivist.

Related Materials

Related Materials in Other Collections

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The Litchfield Historical Society (Litchfield, CT) holds a similar set of sketches, donated in 1920 by Mary Perkins Quincy who had been given them by their original owner Julia Chester Wells. They have been fully contextualized in DePauw, K. M., Jenkins, J. D. The House of Worth: Fashion sketches, 1916-1918. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2015 and digital images of each sketch are available on the Society’s website.

Related Materials in the Costume Institute's Collection The Costume Institute collection includes almost 5,000 examples of designs by House of Worth, the majority of which date from the 20th century.

Indexing Terms

Genres and Forms of Materials • Sketches • Swatches.

Subjects - Topics • Fashion -- -- Paris -- History -- 20th century • Fashion design -- France -- Paris -- History -- 20th century

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Collection Inventory

Series I. Individual Mounted Sketches

Scope and Contents note The series consists of seventeen board-mounted images on paper embossed with “House of Worth/ Paris London”. Most have penciled descriptions in either English or French on the recto and include swatches of fabrics and trims. The mounted images are accompanied by small envelopes created later to contain the swatches, which have been rehoused. On the verso of each board-mounted image is a label printed with “Textile Study Room/ The Library of the Metropolitan Museum of Art”. Each original swatch envelope bears a similar label. It is also not evident from the records when or by whom the images were mounted on board.

Arrangement note The sketches are organized by Worth's order number printed on each sketch except one, which precedes the numbered list.

Box Folder 1 1 Unnumbered. Tea gown in soft velour with large sleeves, lace. 1918 1 2 067. Chiffon chemisette. 1918 1 3 788. Housecoat in velours. 1918 Note: Housing for the swatches numbers them as 488, but this appears to be a transcription error.

1 4 900. Very simple tulle dress, colored velvet belt, diamond lacing. 1918 1 5 903. Ribbed silk dress with floral brocade. 1918 1 6 910, 917. Swatches only. 1918 1 7 918. Ribbed silk dress with Kolenski trim, black and silver lace, and gathers at the side. 1918 1 8 922 bis. White damask dress with black velvet brocade. 1918 1 9 923. Dress draped on both sides, in beaded fabric. 1918 1 10 937. Panne velvet dress with draped skirt over silver lace, black and white diamond trim. 1918 1 11 938. "Very fine tea gown, front in light silver lace - the back made in a very pretty beaded and spangled white material" 1918 1 12 940. Satin or velvet dress. All the beauty of this dress is in the draping. 1918 1 13 947. Elegant velvet dress with beautiful embroidery, black and white diamonds. 1918 1 14 948. Elegant evening damask dress with three tiers of silver lace. 1918 1 15 6201. Cardinal. Woolen coat with lambshair (caracul) collar and cuffs. 1918 1 16 8772. Woolen coat trimmed with otter and kolinsky. 1918 1 17 8776. Hortensia. "Pretty satin or velvet coat trimmed with sable or kolinsky". 1918

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1 18 8794. Velvet coat trimmed with chinchilla or sable 4500 francs/ trimmed with kolensky 1800 francs". 1918

Series II. Sketch Album

Scope and Contents note The series consists of eighteen images each mounted on kraft paper pages that were removed from an album, with a mailing envelope. Swatches of the garment's fabric are sewn onto the upper right corner of each album page. The latter are stamped “Priere de renvoyer ce dessin” [Please return this drawing]. It is not evident from the records when or by whom the images were mounted and collected in the original album.

Box Folder 1 19 Sketches. 0277 Jeannette, I.5280 summer dress; 0273 blue tulle blouse; 1419 Courtesane; 0256 Rosinette; 1416 Agapanthe; 1414 Eglantine; A0247 Fanchon; 1387 Dernier lilas; 0244 Simplicite; 0254 Violette, A0248 Rosemonde; 1433 La Madone; 1454 Nenuphar; 1402 Argentine; 1424 Lackme; 1397 Sultane; 0263 Colombine. 1918 1 20 Mailing envelope. March-April 1918 1 21 Inside covers. 1918

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