The dress was worn by Mary Louise Hoffman. She was one of nine children of Rev. Dr. Eugene Augustus Hoffman, Dean of the Episcopal Theological Seminary in Chelsea Square. In 1888, Mary was married to the Rev. Thomas W. Nickerson in New York City.

The gown was donated in 1970 by Bertha McPherson, who founded the Darien Historical Society. Her daughter, Jane, married Bill Nickerson. The dress belonged to Mary, Bill’s great grandmother.

The dress is a two piece yellow and orange silk with a black net overlay and black jet beads. The top features elbow length sleeves with a fitted bodice and the bottom is similarly constructed with a slight bustle and no train. The striped yellow fabric is constructed from ribbons sewn together to create a large piece from which the pattern was then cut from and assembled. A notable feature of 1880s skirts includes asymmetry, which manifests itself on the back of the skirt here. The black net is gathered to one side with a bow in the back, helping to create a fashionable bustle, while keeping a symmetrical design on the front of the garment.