i64581 |
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Object Description
| Type | Physical Object |
| Basic ID | Evening dress, Petal, 1951. Silk velvet, silk satin, silk taffeta. Charles James, U.S.A. Worn by donor Mrs. Harvey Byron, Jr. neé Kathleen Whitcomb. 1960.26 |
| Title | Petal |
| Other Title | Dress |
| Artists/Makers | James, Charles, 1906-1978 (designer) |
| Place of Origin | United States |
| Date | 1951 |
| Physical Description | Dress, evening-style. Sleeveless sweetheart bodice of black velvet; peplum of black silk satin comprised of petal-shaped pieces; and voluminous pleated floor-length skirt of white silk taffeta. |
| Materials/Techniques |
silk (fiber) velvet (fabric weave) satin taffeta |
| Marks | Charles James 51 |
| Object History | James designed this dress for New Yorker Millicent Rogers in 1949. Two year later the design appeared in Vogue magazine, when it was photographed by Horst and included in James's "black and white" collection. James described the dress as a "curving stem of black velvet above petals of black satin, above 25 yards of blowing, billowing white taffeta." He revived the design in 1958, as a ready-to-wear dress for the junior market. Worn by donor Mrs. Harvey Byron, Jr. neé Kathleen Whitcomb. |
| Curatorial Statement | If James were not so clever, the Petal's twenty-five yards of material would have created an undesirable bulk at the waist. He solved this by stitching most of the material to petal shaped hip panels and only one layer into the waist seam. The skirt's tremendous weight has caused extensive damage to the interior construction. Nearly 120 hours of conservation were necessary to stabilize it for display. |
| Classification | costume (mode of fashion) |
| Categories |
clothing main garments evening dress (concept) |
| Object Types |
dresses (garments) evening dresses (garments) |
| Related Persons | Harvey, Byron Jr., Mrs. |
| Credit Line | Gift of Mrs. Harvey Byron, Jr. |
| Owner | Chicago History Museum |
| Copyright Notice | © Chicago Historical Society, published on or before 2017, all rights reserved. |
| Exhibition History | Charles James : Genius Deconstructed. Chicago History Museum (2011/10/22 - 2012/04/16) |
| Object Number | 1960.26 |
| Image File Name | ICHi-64581; ICHi-64582; ICHi-64583; ICHi-64584; ICHi-64585; ICHi-64586 |
| Language | English |
| Repository | Chicago History Museum. 1601 North Clark Street Chicago, Illinois 60614-6038 |
| Collection Name | Museum Collection (Chicago History Museum) |
| Research Inquiry | http://libguides.chicagohistory.org/research |
| Licensing Inquiry | Visit https://images.chicagohistory.org or email rightsrepro@chicagohistory.org |
| Rights | For permission to reproduce, distribute, or otherwise use this image, please visit https://images.chicagohistory.org or contact rightsrepro@chicagohistory.org. |
Description
| Title | i64581 |
| Copyright Notice | © Chicago Historical Society, published on or before 2017, all rights reserved. |
| Image File Name | i64581.jpg |
| Repository | Chicago History Museum. 1601 North Clark Street Chicago, Illinois 60614-6038 |
| Collection Name | Museum Collection (Chicago History Museum) |
| Rights | For permission to reproduce, distribute, or otherwise use this image, please visit https://images.chicagohistory.org or contact rightsrepro@chicagohistory.org. |
