Evening dress 1881 Frederick Loeser & Company American This design was displayed in the window of the 19th century Brooklyn department store Loeser's for its 50th anniversary, thereby placing it as an example of what the store considered fine design and construction output for the time. This particular example was worn by the donor's mother on her 25th anniversary, showing its appeal for ceremonial occasions probably due to the historicism represented in the scalloped hemline and Medici style collar.The bustle silhouette, although primarily associated with the second half of the 19th century, originated in earlier fashions as a simple bump at the back of the dress, such as with late 17th-early 18th century mantuas and late 18th- early 19th century Empire dresses. The full-blown bustle silhouette had its first Victorian appearance in the late 1860s, which started as fullness in skirts moving to the back of the dress. This fullness was drawn up in ties for walking that created a fashiona