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Evening Dress
Cotton netting, gelatin sequins, glass beads: hand embroidered
French, circa 1920
1900.53.77

The world after the First World War was not the same as it had been before hostilities. Social structures were disintegrating and morals were loosened as the old Edwardian regime gave way to the Bright Young Things swilling cocktails and dancing uproariously. The beaded dress was de rigeur for the glittering nightlife of the decade and has become a symbol of the Jazz Age.

The surface of this dress' tunic is completely beaded with molded glass cabochons, beads and sequins made of gelatin. The beading weighs approximately 4 1/2 pounds. The weight of the beads abetted by gravity threatens the fragile fabric on which they are sewn. The train detaches for an ankle length dress.