#morin blossier
Costumes worn by Prince Carl (later king Haakon of Norway), princess Maud (later queen Maud of Norway) and princess Victoria, photographed by Lafayette on July 2, 1897, and two of the attires worn. The Lafayette photo comes from the Royal Archives at Windsor.
The occasion was a grand fancy dress ball hosted in London by the Duchess of Devonshire, in honour of queen Victoria’s 1897 Jubilee. Whereas the queen herself was not at the ball, many of her closest family members were.
The theme of the ball was allegorical or historical (pre 1815) figures. The Prince of Wales, later king Edward VII, came as grand prior of “The Order of St. John of Jerusalem”, while his wife Alexandra came as the French Renaissance queen Marguerite de Valois.
Their daughers were dressed as Renaissance ladies-in-waiting to the “Marguerite de Valois”, in similar corseted, slashed and collared dresses, while Danish prince Carl appeared as a Danish Renaissance courtier. I have never been able to find out the colour of princess Victoria’s dress. But the garments of her sister and brother in law were predominantely pink, purple and metallic. This we know because their attires are wonderfully preserved!
Princess Maud’s attire was made by French Morin-Blossier. The main fabric is a pink silk satin, appliquéed with sheer silk fabric in a diagonal pattern. The silk has then been embellished with silvery sequins and beads. In addition there’s paned sleeves and bodice details with the same sheer silk poking through, and a Recitella-style standing collar and cuffs.
It is not known who made prince Carl’s attire. But it is made of a black silk satin elaborately embroidered with silk and beads. In addition elastic purple hoses of wool and silk, thigh-high black boots, lace collar and cuffs, and a merallic belt with sword. And not to forget the matching tall, plumed hat. To look the part, the prince even wore a fake beard, to get the proper Renaissance look!
Today the costumes are is in the care of The National Museum in Oslo (OK-1991-0256 and OK-1991-0251).
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Left:Queen Maud’s coronation soirée dress, 1906. Made of gold lamé covered with gold lace, and decorated with diamanté, pearls and garlands of silk roses and leafs. The gala gown was made by Morin-Blossier in Paris ( X)
Right:The magazine L’Art et la Mode describing what Queen Maud wore under a state visit to France in June 1907. The golden Morrin-Blossier dress was worn for a dinner event at Elysée, and it looks like she also wore silk gloves, a metallic choker and a feather ornament in her hair. This depiction shows the dress in its original state; with puffed sleeves, while the current dress shows a lighter lace drape. This is a later alternation. The golden Morin-Blossier dress is described as follows:
“Pour le diner a l'Elysée. Robe fourreau en drap d'or, recouverte de dentelle dans le ton; teintée d'or et rebrodée de perles et briliants. Guirlande très en relief de roses de differents ors“
(For dinner at the Elysée. Fitted dress of a golden fabric, covered with matching gold lace and embroidered with pearls and briliants. Very raised garland of roses of different gold shades)
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