Changing Urban Landscapes & Colonialism - Ivory Silk Bodice
- maudebasskrueger
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Silk bodice
Mlle. Crickx, Marie Léonie Pluckers (1861-?), Brussels
Ca. 1897
Ivory, silk, metal
Donated by A. Gourski, 1996
Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels
C.1561.00
This ivory silk bodice from c. 1897, crafted at the height of Brussels’ Art Nouveau period (1890–1910), reflects both the aesthetic ideals and social tensions of late nineteenth-century Belgian fashion. The bodice’s pigeon-breast silhouette, high neckline, and subtly puffed sleeves echo contemporary fashion illustrations from Belgium and Paris. The sculptural corsage signals bourgeois luxury with its delicate mousseline and chiffon trim. A small metal ring at the lower back, possibly used to attach a train, suggests it may have belonged to a young bride.
The label reads “Mlle Crickx, Robes et Manteaux, 63 Rue de la Putterie,” indicating both a female dressmaker and an atelier in the center of Brussels. Mlle Crickx was the professional name of Marie Léonie Pluckers (1861-?), who married Albert Crickx, a doctor and her neighbor, in December 1897. At the time of their marriage, she was officially without profession, which may explain her absence from earlier records. From 1899 to 1909 she is listed in the almanacs under her married name (but as Mademoiselle), and as a “tailleuse”. In 1910 her address is listed as unoccupied; she would have been 49 years old. No death certificate has been found under her name. However, this street, part of a bustling commercial neighborhood, was gradually demolished starting from 1910 to make way for the Brussels Central Station and the Mont des Arts. She may have moved because of these redevelopment plans.
King Leopold II's transformation of Brussels into a modern capital embodied a vision of grandeur, but it came at the cost of displacing residents of the Rue de la Putterie neighborhood and faced public and political opposition. Financed largely by profits from the Congo Free State (1885-1908), the project relied on colonial resources such as ivory, rubber, and tropical woods—materials that shaped both Brussels' architecture and its aesthetic culture. The popularity of ivory-white textiles in Belgian elite fashion, as seen in garments like this bodice, reflects this colonial urbanism. As the city's facades blossomed with organic ironwork and luminous glass, fashion reflected this stylistic opulence in miniature: wearable architecture shaped by the same colonial forces.
The ivory color, favored by the Belgium’s upper classes, reflects not only aesthetic preferences, but also the colonial structures that shaped those preferences where materials like ivory symbolized wealth, refinement, and imperial reach, even if they were not physically present. As Deborah Silverman has argued, the extraction of ivory not only materially enriched Brussels, but also fueled the rise of the Art Nouveau aesthetic. This ivory silk bodice demonstrates how the decorative ideals of Art Nouveau were selectively adopted; its S-curve silhouette and sculptural sleeves suggest architectural influence, while still its overall silhouette adheres to bourgeois dress codes of restraint, morality and fashionability. While this bodice may not fully embody Art Nouveau design, it reflects how the Brussels bourgeoisie selectively engaged with modern aesthetics-adopting silhouettes and materials that hinted at innovation, while remaining rooted in formality. This suggests that modernity unfolded unevenly across cultural spheres: experimental in art and architecture, but cautious and codified in fashion. This garment reflects the contradictions of a city balancing modernity, artistic innovation, conservatism, and imperial entanglements.
Written by Naomi Hubert
Bibliography
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