DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.22262#0079
ANNA STRASZEWSKA
The Institute of Arts, Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences
THE FIRST EMPIRE WEDDING DRESS.
A STUDY OF TWO GOWNS FROM THE COLLECTIONS
OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUMS IN WARSAW AND KRAKÓW
Two wedding gowns from about 1805, one extremely similar to the other, are in the
collections of two Polish museums1. The batiste one, preserved at the National Mu-
seum in Cracow and traditionally attributed to a thirteen-year-old bride, has been
long known thanks to Maria Gutkowska-Rychlewska's and Maria Taszycka's pub-
lications2. Polish literaturę on the history of costume usually references it as an ex-
ample of a typical light white gown from the early nineteenth century. At present,
it is on permanent view at the Museum's Gallery of Decorative Art (Fig. 1). The
white muślin wedding dress from the collections of the National Museum in War-
saw was completely unknown until recently3. Currently a showpiece of a special ex-
hibition4, it is believed to have belonged to Barbara nee Prozory, wife of Chamber-
lain Bukaty (Fig. 2). However, she might hardly have worn that dress because af-
ter Bukaty died she remarried Ksawery Lipski sometime around 18005 while the
cut of the dress is characteristic of ca. 1805 fashion. The dress was presented to the
Museum in 1936 by Stanisława Kopernicka, great granddaughter of Barbara
Bukat and therefore it had to be the wedding dress of some other woman from that
family, most probably Zofia, daughter of Franciszek Bukaty and Barbara (born
1 The National Museum in Kraków, inv. no. MNK-IV-T-2730; The National Museum
in Warsaw, SZT 2640 (121819MNW).
2 Gutkowska-Rychlewska, M., Taszycka, M., Ubiory i akcesoria mody wieku XIX, Kraków,
1967, p. 21, Fig. 1;
Gutkowska-Rychlewska, M. Historia ubiorów. Wrocław, 1968, Fig. 810a, drawing 34, p.
893.
3 I would like to thank Mrs Ewa Orlińska-Mianowska from the Tapestry Department
of the National Museum in Warsaw for her help in discovering this dress and allow-
ing to measure the pattern of its cut. I am also grateful to Prof. Anna Sieradzka for
her precious suggestions and tips.
4 Orlińska-Mianowska, E., Modny świat XVIII wieku. Katalog ubiorów od początku XVIII
do początku XIX wieku ze zbirów Muzeum Narodowego w Warszawie, Warszawa, 2003,
Cat. no. 1/10; Orlińska-Mianowska, E., Modny świat XVIII i początku XIX w./Fashion
World of the 18th and Early 19th Century, Warszawa, 2003, Figs. 26, 32, 33.
5 Libiszowska, Z., Życie polskie w Londynie w XVIII wieku, Warszawa, 1972, p. 278.
77
The Institute of Arts, Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences
THE FIRST EMPIRE WEDDING DRESS.
A STUDY OF TWO GOWNS FROM THE COLLECTIONS
OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUMS IN WARSAW AND KRAKÓW
Two wedding gowns from about 1805, one extremely similar to the other, are in the
collections of two Polish museums1. The batiste one, preserved at the National Mu-
seum in Cracow and traditionally attributed to a thirteen-year-old bride, has been
long known thanks to Maria Gutkowska-Rychlewska's and Maria Taszycka's pub-
lications2. Polish literaturę on the history of costume usually references it as an ex-
ample of a typical light white gown from the early nineteenth century. At present,
it is on permanent view at the Museum's Gallery of Decorative Art (Fig. 1). The
white muślin wedding dress from the collections of the National Museum in War-
saw was completely unknown until recently3. Currently a showpiece of a special ex-
hibition4, it is believed to have belonged to Barbara nee Prozory, wife of Chamber-
lain Bukaty (Fig. 2). However, she might hardly have worn that dress because af-
ter Bukaty died she remarried Ksawery Lipski sometime around 18005 while the
cut of the dress is characteristic of ca. 1805 fashion. The dress was presented to the
Museum in 1936 by Stanisława Kopernicka, great granddaughter of Barbara
Bukat and therefore it had to be the wedding dress of some other woman from that
family, most probably Zofia, daughter of Franciszek Bukaty and Barbara (born
1 The National Museum in Kraków, inv. no. MNK-IV-T-2730; The National Museum
in Warsaw, SZT 2640 (121819MNW).
2 Gutkowska-Rychlewska, M., Taszycka, M., Ubiory i akcesoria mody wieku XIX, Kraków,
1967, p. 21, Fig. 1;
Gutkowska-Rychlewska, M. Historia ubiorów. Wrocław, 1968, Fig. 810a, drawing 34, p.
893.
3 I would like to thank Mrs Ewa Orlińska-Mianowska from the Tapestry Department
of the National Museum in Warsaw for her help in discovering this dress and allow-
ing to measure the pattern of its cut. I am also grateful to Prof. Anna Sieradzka for
her precious suggestions and tips.
4 Orlińska-Mianowska, E., Modny świat XVIII wieku. Katalog ubiorów od początku XVIII
do początku XIX wieku ze zbirów Muzeum Narodowego w Warszawie, Warszawa, 2003,
Cat. no. 1/10; Orlińska-Mianowska, E., Modny świat XVIII i początku XIX w./Fashion
World of the 18th and Early 19th Century, Warszawa, 2003, Figs. 26, 32, 33.
5 Libiszowska, Z., Życie polskie w Londynie w XVIII wieku, Warszawa, 1972, p. 278.
77