KCIDigital Archives

The KCI Digital Archives on the KCI website presents image and text information for the objects in the collection, arranged in chronological order.

Day Dress

© The Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Taishi Hirokawa

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Day Dress

Early 1860s - Italy

Material
Purple and white striped silk taffeta set of bodice and skirt; worn over crinoline; pagoda sleeves with bows; frills on bodice and hem of skirt.
Inventory Number(s)
AC7626 92-35-5AB

A dress featuring bold stripes in purple, the fashionable color during that era. In 1856, the chemist William Perkin (1838-1907) discovered the world's first synthetic dye, mauveine. This was soon adapted into textile dyeing and the color which resulted, termed "mauve", before long attracted a great deal of attention. Later, more and more synthetic dyes for other colors shades were discovered, too, which immensely helped the dyeing industry, formerly dependent on expensive natural pigments, to proceed towards industrialization. Since it thereby became easier to acquire dyed textile, people enjoyed experimenting with all kinds of colorful combinations.

1850s-1860s