THE MET
Cream Cotton Robe à l'Anglaise with Burgundy Green Print
Rococo · 1780s · British
Production
handmade
Material
printed cotton
Culture
British
Influences
French court dress adaptation · English practical tailoring
This robe à l'anglaise displays the characteristic fitted bodice and full skirt silhouette of 1770s formal dress. The cream-colored cotton fabric features scattered floral motifs in burgundy, green, and pink throughout. The bodice is closely fitted through the torso with a pointed waist, typical of the era's corseted construction. The skirt extends in a full bell shape, likely supported by side panniers or a wide petticoat. The sleeves appear to be fitted to the elbow with decorative trim. A matching cap or bonnet with similar floral decoration completes the ensemble. The printed cotton fabric represents the growing popularity of washable, practical materials for formal wear during this period, while maintaining the elaborate silhouette demanded by fashionable society.
dressfit and flaresquare necklinefloor length
Connected To
56%
Worn with·chemiseWorn with·stays
SHAREDsame era · cross-culture
These two gowns reveal how Rococo femininity translated across the Atlantic with subtle but telling differences. The British printed cotton robe à l'Anglaise with its delicate floral sprigs and fitted back seams represents the emerging middle-class taste for washable luxury, while Martha Washington's coral silk brocade speaks to American elite aspirations—the same silhouette and construction, but in a fabric that screams European sophistication.
Pull the Thread→
Follow this garment wherever the graph leads
