18th Century Fly Fringe
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Last updated: Oct 23, 2025
This page links to 18th century gowns and other accessories that were trimmed with fly fringe or fly braid. Most of these gowns are silk, and often (though not always) brocaded silk. See the Additional Resources box at right for tutorials and photos on the construction of 18th century fly braid and fly fringe.
- V&A T.165-1970, “Fringe of plain silk, 3-ply, cut from pale blue braid of 2/10" deep. With a sparse cover of 'fly' fringe tied on a more vivid blue silk, sewn through the braid.”
- Nordiska museet 171126, a silk outfit with embroidery, 18th century
- Met 38.30.1a, b, robe à la française, French, c. 1710-1774
- Met 1995.235a, b, robe à la française, British, 1740s
- V&A 700-1864, a sack gown made in Great Britain c. 1740-1749
- LACMA 63.2.5, a silk damask stomcaher made in mid-18th century France and decorated with ombré ribbon, silk thread, and fly fringe
- Bonhams 24-25 April 2013, Lot 379, a mid 18th century sack-back gown (robe à la Française) in cream damask brocade silk and trimmed with silk fly fringe
- London Museum 89.56b, white silk satin petticoat ornamented with wadded and corded quilting and finished at the hem with white silk fly braid, c. 1751-1755
- Historic Deerfield F.356, a silk brocade gown and stomacher trimmed in fly fringe, gown made c. 1750-1770
- Met C.I.59.29.1a, b, robe à la française, France, c. 1750-1775
- Whitaker Auction Spring 2015, Lot 530, silk brocade robe a l’anglaise, Canada, c. 1750-1775
- National Trust 602788.1/602788.2, polonaise robe and petticoat, 1760
- V&A T.77 to B-1959, sack gown, English, c. 1760-1765
- National Trust 1350856.1/1350856.2, a sack back dress and petticoat, c. 1765-1769
- Baby’s gown in the John Bright collection, silk satin trimmed with silk braid and fly fringe, 1760s
- Historic Deerfield, 1760s
- Kyoto Costume Institute AC4854 84-18-13, stomacher, Swiss, 1760s
- Chertsey Museum M.2010.01a-b, yellow floral silk damask sack back gown and matching petticoat, both trimmed with white fly fringe, c. 1760-1770
- V&A T.120 to B-1961, mantua, English, c. 1760-1770
- London Museum A12981a, sack-back dress in watered silk in a striped pattern, with blue and white silk fly fringe trimming, probably made in England c. 1761-1770
- Historic Deerfield F.660, a robe a la française and petticoat in a Dutch silk brocade with a chinoiserie pattern, trimmed with fly fringe, c. 1760-1775
- “a garnet Colour Paduasway negligee twenty two yards, ten shillings a yard. trim'd with 2 dozen and a half of fringe the same Colour at eight shillings a dozen. Christmas 1762.” in the Barbara Johnson album
- National Museum of American History 315492, Catherine Livingston’s wedding dress, worn on January 23, 1764 in New York City; yellow figured silk trimmed with white fly fringe
- Augusta Auction March 30 2011, Lot 304, brocade sack back open robe, c. 1765-1775
- Kent State University Museum 1983.001.0008 a-c, open robe and petticoat, probably from France or England, c. 1760-1779
- Met 25.12a-c, robe à la française, British, c. 1760-1780
- V&A CIRC.85-1951, gown, English, around the 1760s
- Stomacher in the John Bright Collection, England, 1760s-1770s
- Cora Ginsburg, brocaded silk robe à la française, French, c. 1765
- V&A T.471 to B-1980, sack gown made in Great Britain c. 1765-1770
- V&A T.12 to B-1940, sack gown made in Great Britain c. 1765-1770
- Kerry Taylor Auctions 17th March 2011, Lot 40, robe à la française, c. 1765-1770
- Kerry Taylor Auctions 10 June 2008, Lot 134, open robe the fabric late 1760s-early 1770s
- Fly fringe on Hannah Palmer’s wedding dress, June 1768
- Augusta Auction October 2006 Vintage Clothing & Textile Auction, Lot 647, silk brocade open gown, c. 1770
- Charleston Museum, open-front sack-back gown, c. 1770
- National Trust 1348724, open robe polonaise, 1770
- National Trust 1348723, open robe, 1770
- Colonial Williamsburg 1971-1388, child’s silk cap, French, c. 1770
- Colonial Williamsburg 1975-340,1/1989-330,2, sack-back gown and petticoat worn by Elizabeth Dandridge in Virginia, c. 1770
- V&A T.161&A-1961, sack gown, English, c. 1770-1775
- Met 2009.300.648, robe à l’anglaise, British, c. 1770-1775
- Colonial Williamsburg 2015-210, A&B, robe a l’anglaise, worn in New York and New Jersey c. 1770-1776
- Kerry Taylor Auctions 20th November 2017, Lot 116, robe à la française, 1770
- Kerry Taylor Auctions 23rd June 2015, Lot 35, robe à la française, 1770s
- Kerry Taylor Auctions 23rd June 2015, Lot 42, robe à la française, 1770s
- Kerry Taylor Auctions 24th June 2014, Lot 24, robe à la Piémontaise, 1770s
- Colonial Williamsburg 1991-474,A, gown, English, 1770s
- Colonial Williamsburg 1953-850, gown, English, c. 1770-1780
- Mint Museum 2009.33.4A-B, formal open robe with petticoat, English, c. 1770-1785 (see also Augusta Auctions April 2009 Vintage Fashion and Textile Auction, Lot 286 and Wikipedia)
- MFA 43.1822, muff, French, c. 1774-1793
- Met 32.35.8a-c, robe à la française, French, c. 1774-1793
- Colonial Williamsburg 1955-428,1, silk sack gown, France or England, c. 1775
- Kyoto Costume Institute AC7716 93-5AB, robe à la française, c. 1775
- LACMA M.2007.211.926a-b, robe à la française probably made in the Netherlands c. 1775
- LACMA AC1996.221.2.1, caraco jacket (pet en l’air), French, c. 1775
- Met 2005.61a, b, robe à la française, French, c. 1775
- Kyoto Costume Institute AC9704 98-26AD, robe à la française, French, late 1770s
- T.78-1973, white fringe supplemented by knotted flies of white, red, purple, lilac and dark green silk, made in France c. 1775-1799
- Met C.I.61.13.1a, b, robe à la française, French, c. 1775-1800
- Museo de la Moda 2000.929.a-e (24), dress à l’anglaise, c. 1780
- Colonial Williamsburg 1941-212,A&B, sack gown, probably French, c. 1780
- Colonial Williamsburg 1985-142, robe a l'anglaise in cream-colored silk brocaded with floral sprigs in multicolors, with silk fly fringe, English, c. 1780
- Colonial Williamsburg 1994-160, child’s hooded silk cloak, British (worn around Boston, Massachusetts), c. 1780-1800
- Historic Deerfield F.287, a gown, stomacher, and petticoat in painted silk and trimmed with fly fringe, c. 1785
- Kyoto Costume Institute AC9125 1994-14-3, round gown, Italian, c. 1795
- MFA 48.1198a-b, a wedding gown made in Marblehead, Massachusetts, about 1799
- LACMA M.83.281.2, a woman’s bag (reticule), French, c. 1799
