Elegance in Indigo - Polka Dot Printed Tournure Ensemble

Mlle. Delfosse Soeurs, born

Pauline Aurélie Delfosse

(°1846), Emilia Léontine

Delfosse (°1849), &

Adolphine Moulinas (°1837),

13/15 Rue d’Enghien, Mons

C. 1880

Cotton, silk, linen, metal

Donated by Pierre Cambier, 1980

Royal Museums of Art and History,

Brussels

C.0816.00

Mlle. Delfosse Soeurs, Mons. Walking Ensemble, c. 1880. Cotton, silk, linen, metal.

© KMKG-MRAH / Maximiliaan Martens, UGent, Gicas.

This elegant polka dot walking ensemble, consisting of an indigo-dyed printed cotton bodice and skirt, was worn by Laure-Marie-Arnoldine Folville-Cambier (°Liège, 1852–1881) around 1880. The label reads "Mlle Delfosse Soeurs/15 Rue d'Enghien, Mons." Archival research shows that in 1880 the dressmakers Pauline Aurélie Delfosse (°Mons, 1846–unknown), Emilia Léontine Delfosse (°Mons, 1849–unknown), and Adolphine Moulinas (°Mons, 1837–unknown) were located at this number. The label bears another number which may be 13.

The dress combines a ruffled cuirass bodice with a pleated skirt and a taut overskirt that culminates in a compact bustle at the back. The ensemble conforms to the close-fitting, back-focused ideal of the period. Two decorative bows cascade down the bustle, and carefully constructed pleats introduce texture and movement, creating a silhouette of controlled fullness and elegant tension. A matching parasol, faded from use and too fragile for display or photography, features a curved bamboo shaft, reflecting nineteenth-century Europe’s fascination with imported “Oriental” materials.

Like the umbrella, the dress is connected to broader colonial histories: the indigo dye used to color the fabric was imported from colonized regions in Asia and the Americas, industries built on the exploitation of enslaved and subjugated peoples. Made of cotton, the ensemble reflects not only the fashionable silhouette of the period, but also the imperial circuits that sustained it. While the exact provenance of the fabric remains unknown, cotton, like indigo, was deeply embedded in colonial economies, with commodities being cultivated and extracted through systems of forced labor across Asia, and the Global South. In Belgium, such histories became increasingly entangled with King Leopold II’s (1835–1909) growing imperial ambitions, as the Congo Free State (1885–1908) emerged as a key site of resource extraction under the guise of civilization and commerce.This refined ensemble, with its white, pink, and brown polka dots printed onto the indigo cotton, speaks to both contemporary fashion and the social standing of its wearer. In the evolving fashion landscape of the late nineteenth century, polka dots conveyed a fresh, modern aesthetic, illustrating the spread of Parisian trends even in smaller industrial cities like Mons. Undergoing rapid modernization from 1860–1905, Mons ramparts were removed by 1865 and subsequently turned into boulevards and promenades in the following decades, forming symbols of bourgeois aspiration and civic pride. Fashion mirrored these changes: garments like this served as markers of status and engagement in a globalizing city.

Although cotton fabrics were becoming more accessible, fine printed cottons like this remained expensive. Their use signaled wealth and taste, marking Laure Folville-Cambier as a woman of considerable means. Married to the lawyer Omer-Louis-Charles Cambier (°Mons, 1844–1921), she moved in elite circles where fashionable dress was both a personal expression and a public statement. While the light fading, underarm discoloration, and mud stains near the hem hint at wear, the lively energy of the polka dot motif endures. 

Tragically, Laure had little time to enjoy the dress. She died in early 1881 following complications from a miscarriage in Pâturages, leaving behind her husband and their then three-year-old son, René Cambier (°Mons, 1878–1956), who would later pursue a colonial career. Today, the ensemble endures as an elegant witness to an era where fashion, industry, and the rhythms of female life were intimately intertwined.

Written by Rowena Dossche & Lise Masure

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