This robe à la française is a gown for special, formal occasions. The style is recognisable by the pleating on the back of the gown. These pli Watteau are the only design in fashion history which is named after an artist (Jean Antoine Watteau, 1684-1721). The amount of material needed, plus the cost of the seamstress, made such pleats an expensive undertaking. The cost was, where possible, reduced by the use of a plainer cloth for the back of the underskirt, which was not visible. Once this dress had been added to the collection it received much exposure. It received a prominent place next to the three dresses submitted by Queen Wilhelmina which opened the Costume of our Ancestors exhibition in 1936. The garment has suffered in the passage of time. Old catalogues consistently refer to the dress as being purple or dark red, but the colour has faded. During research we discovered hooks and eyes which enabled the wearer to raise the overskirt, this revealed the original colour underneath.