And just for something different today, here’s a portrait from 1891 of Madame Albert Cahen d’Anvers. Portraiture from a particular historical period can often give us an idea of what was worn then, or at least an idealized version of that clothing. In this case, we see an elegant evening dress combined with a long opera cloak. The gold color of the cloak lining nicely contrasts with the silk ivory evening dress. It would be nice to have been able to actually view the dress itself but unfortunately it’s no longer in existence (as far as we can determine) so we’ll have to content ourselves with the portrait.

Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat, Portrait de madame Albert Cahen d’Anvers, 1891; Bayonne, Musée Bonnat

Here’s a closer view:

Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat, Portrait de madame Albert Cahen d’Anvers, 1891; Bayonne, Musée Bonnat