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Designer
Creation date
1935
Materials
silk velvet, belt buckle with rhinestones
Dimensions
dress) L: 53 3/4 in.
Credit line
Gift of Rosanne N. Watson and Virginia N. Combs in memory of their mother, Arline S. Nelson
Accession number
2004.150
Collection
Not Currently On View
This dress was worn by Arline Steward Nelson on her wedding day, October 16, 1935.
The period between the crash of the stock market in 1929 and the outbreak of WWII in 1939 had a profound impact on the way Americans dressed. As hemlines began to fall, waistlines, which had dropped to the hips, returned to their natural position.
This dress is an example of the softer, feminine forms that replaced the boyish flapper look. The round neckline is trimmed with five rows of oversize pin-tucks. The waist is raised at the center front and back and then slopes gently down at the sides.
Arline S. Nelson {1}; Roseanne N. Watson and Virginia N. Combs, through Virgina N. Combs, Carmel, Indiana; given to Indianapolis Museum of Art (June 2004).
{1} Arlene Nelson is the mother of Roseanne Watson and Virginia Combs.
{1} Arlene Nelson is the mother of Roseanne Watson and Virginia Combs.