When Lady Carla de Jonge began her work at the Centraal Museum the costume collection consisted of just a few articles of clothing and this complete dress. The Lady emphasizes in her influential publication 'A Century of Dutch fashion' (1941) the meticulous finish of the dress: "The edging of both skirts and the double cape, or 'palantine' as it is called in old fashion publications, is embellished with tulle, which is embroidered with overlapping circles, a beautiful piece of handwork." The balloon-like sleeves, called ‘Gigots’, were characteristic for this timeframe. It is noteworthy that the name of the owner of the dress was supplied when it was donated; the dress was probably worn by the Lady Henrietta van Dielen-Alewijn (1805-1870) from Utrecht when she married in 1834, for the second time. White wedding dresses became fashionable in the 19th century. This dress is an early example. Having a special wedding dress made was an expensive business and the reason for this is evident in the exceptional details of this beautifully made dress. The expense incurred is also the reason why not all brides wore white; some simply wore the best dress they already owned. This could mean that, unknown to us, some of the jewels in our collection may be wedding dresses.