The late 18th century taste for neoclassicism, combined with the social changes wrought by the French Revolution, led to a desire for pure simplicity in dress. The chemise dress of delicate white cotton both echoed the lines of classical statuary and yet served to reveal more of the female form than had any style previously.
The elegant, plain white cotton example offered here is a nearly perfect example of the purity in dress considered so desirable; in marked contrast to the elaborate, heavy styles of the preceding decades, it has no decoration at all barring the few tucks to the hem.