Sleeve Ruffle
1725–1775
- Medium
- Linen plain weave foundation; embroidered in linen with shadow, chain, and buttonhole stitches, and drawnwork with various fillings
- Dimensions
- 88.9 × 15.9 cm (35 × 6 1/4 in.)
- Genre
- Costume accessory
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Tags
costume accessory worn above the waistlinencostume accessoryclothingcostume - embroideryembroideryneedlework (visual works)costumeTextile18th Centuryembroideringplain weaving
About
The lace decorations that ornamented women’s dresses were separate from the dresses themselves. They required many yards of lace and, since fine lace was expensive, people sought substitutes that mimicked the light, translucent nature of the fabric. Here, the sleeve ruffles are made of a woven linen that has been skillfully embroidered to look like lace.