About the Lecture

Before Charles Frederick Worth (1825–1895), the idea of a dress being recognizably the work of its creator simply didn’t exist. He was the first dressmaker to actively change current styles, firmly establishing the idea that novelty added to the allure of a design. He was the first to make clothes that exemplified his “brand.”

Befitting an artist, Worth was the first to sign a dress—with a label. He developed the concept of the maison de couture (house of fashion) as a place both public and private. He was also the first global designer, dressing crowned heads of every country and all those who aspired to dress like the aristocracy, a clientele that grew like wildfire with industrialization. Worth's client list overlapped with that of artist Franz Xaver Winterhalter, who painted iconic 19th-century portraits of European nobility. High Society: The Portraits of Franz X. Winterhalter showcases a selection of Winterhalter's magnificent portraits, along with glamorous evening gowns, including some created by Worth.

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