Dress

Design House Jessie Franklin Turner American

Designer Jessie Franklin Turner American

ca. 1937

Not on view

It is rare to find pieces by this inventive American designer, especially an example of a day dress. Turner was not as well-known for her daywear as she was for her evening wear and teagowns, but as evidenced here, she used daywear as an avenue to showcase interesting textiles. She often designed, printed and dyed her own textiles. Many of her designs and patterns were inspired by ethnographic sources. This design seems to draw from batik, a resist dyeing technique that originated in Indonesia. In this particular piece, Turner also incorporated striking color combinations and an interesting textured weave, other elements that distinguished her designs, to add additional interest to a simply cut dress. The focus on the textile in this dress is especially interesting as it was donated by well-known textile artist and designer Dorothy Liebes.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Title: Dress
Design House: Jessie Franklin Turner (American, 1923–1943)
Designer: Jessie Franklin Turner (American, 1881–1956)
Date: ca. 1937
Culture: American
Medium: wool, wood
Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Dorothy Liebes, 1966
Object Number: 2009.300.421
Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

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Evening dress, Jessie Franklin Turner American, silk, metal, American — Evening dress
Design House Jessie Franklin Turner
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Department Store Attributed to Bonwit Teller & Co.
ca. 1920

Necklace, Meta Overbeck American, Gold, emeralds, Montana sapphires, topazes, enamel, American — Necklace
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Louis C. Tiffany
Manufacturer Tiffany & Co.
ca. 1914–15

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