Accessory set

C. G. Gunther's Sons

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Long associated with royalty, ermine is always regarded as a status symbol for the person who wears it. Made of the distinctive black and white pelts, this accessory set represents the type of luxurious fur accessories used and valued in the Belle Époque period, when ermine fur and even ermine head decorations were de rigueur trimmings for winter attire. C. G. Gunther's Sons, the manufacturer of this ensemble, was a highly-regarded New York furrier of the 19th century which catered to an elite and fashionable clientele.

The Costume Institute

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.

Metropolitan Museum of Art