Pannier (clothing)
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Panniers or side hoops are women's undergarments worn in the 17th and 18th centuries to extend the width of the skirts at the side while leaving the front and back relatively flat. This provided panel
Pannier or hoop skirt, English, 1750–80. Plain-woven linen and cane.
Staffordshire figure, c. 1750
fromTriptych: Mr Peter Ducane, Mary, nee Norris, his wife & The Ducane Children, 1747
German porcelain ballet dancer wearing a pannier, 1755
Sack-back gown
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The sack-back gown or robe à la française was a women's fashion of 18th century Europe. At the beginning of the century, the sack-back gown was a very informal style of dress. At its most informal, it
Two robes à la Française, front and back views, 1750–75 (MET)
Woven linen pet-en-l'air with sack back, worn with a matching petticoat. France or England, c. 1770s. (LACMA) M.67.8.74
L'Enseigne de Gersaint (detail), 1720, by Antoine Watteau. Early example of a sack-back gown.
La Déclaration d'amour, 1731, by Jean François de Troy. Front and back views of women in sack-back gowns.