This black sequined evening cape with large floral beaded designs (c. 1914) was donated to our museum by Lorna Landis Walker of Overlook Drive in New Canaan. Lorna was married to Robert Pennell Walker and was a resident of the town for over 2A years, working as a real estate agent in town for a variety of companies. The evening cape belonged to her grandmother.

The label on the interior of the garment reads “Peter Robinson, Regent Street, London, England,” which indicates that the wearer bought the evening coat abroad. Peter Robinson was a chain of department stores in London that specialized in fashionable ladies’ clothes and accessories between 1850 and the 1970s. The beadwork flowers on the wrap evoke a sense of the ‘art nouveau’ style that was popular between 1890 and 1914, before the start of World War I, and was inspired by natural forms such as the curves of plants and flowers.