French Natural Form Gown, Mid-1870s. Silk taffeta and silk velvet, the velvet hand applied, all hand stitching in the skirt with hand-applied pleats, the bodice machine stitched with piped edges, stitched with the dressmaker's label "ROBES & CONFECTIONS/ MERLOT LARCHEVEQUE/ 21 BOULEVART DES CAPUCINES 23."