This lady's short jacket of silk faille is a late example of a spencer (so named for George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer and first worn by men before being adapted for women) and was found in France. It was probably made between 1825 and 1828 and conveys an elegant simplicity in cut and the barest ornament, from the inflating gigot sleeves to details like the piped cuffs and waist closure, and tonal silk-thread-covered buttons just below each shoulder.
Rarer in the mid- to late 1820s than in the previous two decades, the spencer still enjoyed some popularity before its disappearance from ladies' fashionable dress. A more ornate version in silk velvet appeared in the Journal des dames et des modes in March 1826 as the look to see and be seen in at the Promenade de Longchamp, one of Paris's most stylish spectacles on or off a horse.
"Mode de Longchamp," Journal des dames et des modes, March 20, 1826.
Woman's spencer of silk faille, French, ca. 1825–28.
