For our Object of the Month this May, a stunning jacquard-woven cut velvet and ribbed silk shawl, probably made in France in the 1850s–60s. These large square shawls were all the rage as accessories for women in the mid-19th century. The pattern of this woven-to-form example is directly inspired by the Chantilly lace shawls that were also fashionable at that time.
Portrait of a lady wearing a lace shawl (stereograph) attributed to Charles Nègre, ca. 1855–63, Rijksmuseum.
Silk velvet “lace pattern” shawl, probably French, ca. 1850s–60s.
May 1, 2025
