The Internet Ruled at Augusta

Labeled “Doeuillet 18 Place Vendôme Paris,” this one-piece tea gown from 1910 was of fine Russian cream bobbin lace with a bodice insert and deep skirt panels of heavily embroidered cotton lawn with repeats of small flowers surrounded by a swirling vine. It was missing its original green silk sash (it was photographed with a blue sash that was not included with the dress), but otherwise it was in excellent condition and went to the room for $3900 (est. $500/800).

An opening bid of $1500 revved up the sewing machine when this 1920’s Paul Poiret day dress came up for bid. The bias-cut red wool jersey with black charmeuse cuffs, a hem and yoke outlined in gold braid, and beaded gold leather cutout designs on the yoke and cuffs was labeled “Paul Poiret à Paris.” It was in very good condition and went to a phone manned by Bob Ross (the same bidder who had won three other top-notch lots of dresses and gowns by French designers) for $7800 (est. $2000/3000).

Sold for the benefit of the Brooklyn Museum, this 19" x 66" yellow table cover (partially shown) of silk gauze and silk floss embroidered flowers and exotic birds was in excellent condition and sold to the Internet at four times the high estimate for $2400.

This four-piece little boy’s black velveteen suit includes a jacket, two skirts, a vest, a silk plaid bow, and a lace collar (not original to suit) and fits size 4-6. It is in excellent condition and brought a great deal of phone interest. The suit sold for $2700 (est. $400/600).

The suit belonged to Harris Whittemore Jr. of Middlebury, Connecticut, whose portrait was painted by Mary Cassatt during a visit with the Whittemore family in 1898. The portrait is titled Boy with Golden Curls and is documented in Adelyn Breeskin’s Cassatt catalogue raisonné (1979). The lot included a photo of Harris Whittemore Jr. wearing the velvet suit.

The winning bidder also won an 1880’s boy’s dark plum three-piece formal suit (not pictured) with black trim on the open-front jacket, five pairs of black braid trims on the long button vest with three pockets, and a wave-and-stripe pattern cotton lining. The breeches had braid trims and a dot-and-stripe pattern cotton lining. That suit sold for $840 (est. $200/400).

Callot Soeurs blue silk faille evening gown, 1915-16, embroidered in silver tinsel and designed with a wrap front, a white lace and tulle modesty piece, tulle undersleeves, and a skirt front. Despite a fair condition rating (tiny hole on the left shoulder, worn fabric on the sleeve, and disintegrating tulle), this gown brought $4500 (est. $600/1000) from the same bidder on Bob Ross’s phone who won both the Lanvin “Elizabeth I” fancy dress and the Worth evening gown.

Bob Ross’s bidder must have known something that few other bidders knew about these two black cocktail dresses from the 1950’s that brought an unexpected price of $3000, roughly 14 times the low estimate of $200, closing the auction with a bang. The one on the right was a wool strapless dress with a bolero that buttoned to the dress, and the other was a silk charmeuse dress with spaghetti straps and fringe. Both dresses were in excellent condition.

A 19th-century Chinese aquamarine blue satin and raised pink brocade silk robe with a design of butterflies and flower bunches, a side opening with a fancy mint green frog, wide lilac sleeves, and a blue silk damask lining was sold for the benefit of the Brooklyn Museum. The Internet was against the room; the room won it at $2160 (est. $300/500).

This floor-length black crepe jeweled evening coat, with border rows of faceted crystals, designed by Norman Norell in the 1970’s, was accompanied by a 1980’s apricot sheer synthetic fabric evening gown, covered in silver sequins, designed by Luis Estevez (b. 1930). Estevez studied at the Traphagen School of Fashion in New York City prior to a two-year stint working for Patou in Paris. Returning to New York in the mid-1950’s, Estevez started his own business and relocated to California in the late 1960’s to design evening wear for the Eva Gabor collection. These two evening pieces sold to the room for $2400 (est. $300/400).