{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O577329"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O577329/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2012FY7535/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2012FY7535/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2012FY7535","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O577329/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O577329","accessionNumber":"E.22061-1957","objectType":"Fancy dress costume design","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"This design was possibly created by Léon Sault for Charles Frederick Worth. It probably depicts the queen of a deck of playing cards as clubs, hearts, diamonds and spades are used to border the bodice, sleeves and trim the headdress. However, the hem of the underskirt is elaborately decorated with cryptic motifs, including a snail, a dagger-pierced heart, and a snake and bucket, suggesting that the costume may have a more complex meaning. Léon Sault was a fashion and theatre designer and illustrator who later became a magazine editor, publishing some of his fancy dress costume designs as part of a series titled \"L'Art du Travestissment\" (The Art of Fancy Dress). His designs included characters such as Mephistopheles and embodiments of concepts such as Astronomy.\r\n\nDuring the 1860s, Empress Eugenie of France threw a number of extravagant masquerade balls which required the guests to wear elaborate and inventive costumes that were made up by Worth and other Paris dressmakers. Worth, a relative newcomer, became the Empress's favoured couturier at the end of the 1850s. This made him extremely fashionable, and the rest of the ladies of Eugenie's court also bought gowns from him - and so too did their husbands' mistresses, and anyone wealthy enough to afford Worth's very high prices. As a result, Worth was under great pressure to produce vast numbers of unique, one of a kind costumes and gowns, often at very short notice. This is one of a large number of similar designs and sketches that were given to the V&A as part of the archive and reference collection of the House of Worth, making it extremely likely that it was originally designed for a guest to wear to one of the Empress's magnificent balls.","physicalDescription":"Watercolour drawing, a design for a theatrical or masquerade fancy-dress ball costume.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Léon Sault","id":"A39633"},"association":{"text":"designer","id":"x36960"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"Charles Frederick Worth","id":"A2554"},"association":{"text":"designed for","id":"x41471"},"note":"possibly"}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"watercolour","id":"x33202"},{"text":"pencil","id":"x30347"}],"techniques":[{"text":"watercolour drawing","id":"x37878"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"watercolour and pencil drawing","categories":[{"text":"Designs","id":"THES48968"},{"text":"Fashion","id":"THES48957"},{"text":"Fancy-dress","id":"THES253773"},{"text":"Womenswear","id":"THES49044"},{"text":"Europeana Fashion Project","id":"THES265804"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2012FY7535"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLD","id":"THES49658"},"free":"","case":"96","shelf":"D","box":"5"}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"print","id":""}],[{"text":"drawing","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Paris","id":"x29068"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1860s","earliest":"1860-01-01","latest":"1869-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by the House of Worth","dimensions":[],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Léon Sault. Woman's masquerade ball dress probably representing the queen of a deck of cards. Probably for Charles Frederick Worth. Paris, 1860s.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"<u>Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings Accessions 1957-1958 </u> London: HMSO, 1964"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["E.22061-1957"],"accessionNumberNum":"22061","accessionNumberPrefix":"E","accessionYear":1957,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-06-27","recordCreationDate":"2009-06-30","availableToBook":false}}