Two-piece gown

This two-piece gown consists of a bodice and a skirt, both in cotton cambric printed with a motif of small white roses on a wine-coloured base. The bodice, supported by bones at both front and back, features gathers stretching from the shoulders to the waist. The sleeves are flared en pagode with ruches on the cuffs and gathered flounces. The wide, dome-shaped skirt is gathered at the waist and fastened by two hooks at the rear. The absence of embroidery and the use of the printing technique ensured that the clothes were better suited to outdoor activities such as strolling in the city or countryside, both pastimes typical of the social life of the bourgeoisie in the mid-19th century. The gown belonged to the Countess Giulia Garnery Pezza (1815-1885).

Donated by the Associazione Amici della Galleria del Costume, 1987.