Coat 1898

This coat was designed by the House of Worth, a fashion house with its roots in the late 1850s. Notice the rose motif running down the front and around the sleeves. Roses, universally emblems of love and beauty, also carry a potent, darker symbolism deeply embedded in our collective consciousness. Consider the rose in the myth of Cupid and Psyche, where it symbolizes love's trials and tribulations. Or the War of the Roses, where it signifies a bloody and divisive struggle for power. This duality of the rose transcends time, and it resurfaces in various forms—from the delicate blooms in Botticelli's "Primavera" to the wilting roses in vanitas paintings, reminding us of life's fleeting nature. In this coat, the House of Worth has woven together these threads, creating a garment that is not merely an aesthetic object, but a repository of historical and emotional meaning. It is a testament to the enduring power of symbols and their ability to resonate with us on a primal level, evoking both pleasure and pain, hope and despair.