This dress was worn by Maria Dorado Mason (sometimes called Mariqueta). She was probably born in Venezuela, of Spanish descent, and moved to Puerto Rico with her family in the early 19th century. In 1823 she married Sidney Mason, the first U.S. Consul to Puerto Rico. Her family was prominent socially on the island. This dress was most likely worn to evening social events after her marriage to Sidney. The couple had two children. In 1835, the whole family travelled to Boston to place the younger child, Alphonso, in boarding school. Soon after their arrival, Maria contracted pneumonia and died. Her daughter, Catalina Juliana, carefully saved some of her clothes and gave them to the Smithsonian Institution. Exhibited in the Arts and Industries Building in the early 20th century and in the Hall of American Costume from 1964 to 1973.
