Pattern for Dress c. 1936

This pencil drawing is a dressmaking pattern by Jean Peszel. We can date it to the late 19th or early 20th century because Peszel was born in 1855 and patterns like this one were common at that time. The image shows various pattern pieces labeled with letters and numbers. These pieces would have been traced onto fabric and cut out to create the different parts of a dress. The cultural context is that of the rise of the middle class and the increasing availability of ready-to-wear clothing. Dressmaking patterns like this allowed women to create their own fashionable clothing at home, or to have it made by a local seamstress. This was a way for women to participate in the consumer culture of the time. To understand this drawing more fully, we could research the history of dressmaking patterns, the fashion trends of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the social history of women and clothing. Art provides a unique window into past social practices and beliefs.