Antique Victorian Black Silk Taffeta Bodice 1870s-1890s Collector’s Piece

The silk taffeta fabric — identifiable by its characteristic fine horizontal ribbing and crisp hand — was one of the most fashionable and status-signalling fabrics of the period. The amber/rust cotton lining, the decorative fabric-covered exterior buttons, and the internal snap closures (known in the period as “dress fasteners” or “invisible hooks”) are all consistent with professional dressmaker construction of the 1870s–1890s.