Matinee Coat
1935-1955 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Baby clothes made from fine textiles such as silk and lace often originated as birth or christening gifts. Some were never worn, but were treasured and handed on through the family. The best known christening gifts are intrinsically valuable items such as gold or silver plated cutlery, bowls and mugs, but there was once a tradition of rather less costly gift-giving, which included clothing, food and symbolic gifts such as eggs (standing for life) and salt (purity).
Edmund Howe, in his edition of John Stow's Chronicles of England, remembered that in the 1560s and 70s
"…it was not the use and custom (as now it is) for godfathers and godmothers generally to give plate at the baptism of children (as spoons, cuppes, and such like) but onely to give christening shirts, with little bands and cuffs wrought either with silke or blew thread, the best of them, for chief persons weare, edged with a small lace of blacke silke and gold…"
Edmund Howe, in his edition of John Stow's Chronicles of England, remembered that in the 1560s and 70s
"…it was not the use and custom (as now it is) for godfathers and godmothers generally to give plate at the baptism of children (as spoons, cuppes, and such like) but onely to give christening shirts, with little bands and cuffs wrought either with silke or blew thread, the best of them, for chief persons weare, edged with a small lace of blacke silke and gold…"
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Embroidered silk |
| Brief description | Matinee coat for a baby: cream coloured silk crepe, embroidered with flower motifs; UK, 1935-55 |
| Physical description | Baby's matinee coat of ivory silk crepe, hand-embroidered with scattered motifs of small aster-like flowers in a variety of coloured silks (mainly pinks, purples and blues). The garment has a round lace-edged neck, and wide wrist-length sleeves; it is flared in shape, and edged with whipped running stitch in two shades of green. The neck fastening consists of a drawstring of ivory satin baby ribbon. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by R Berry |
| Object history | Gift of Mr R Berry (RF 92/10020 |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Baby clothes made from fine textiles such as silk and lace often originated as birth or christening gifts. Some were never worn, but were treasured and handed on through the family. The best known christening gifts are intrinsically valuable items such as gold or silver plated cutlery, bowls and mugs, but there was once a tradition of rather less costly gift-giving, which included clothing, food and symbolic gifts such as eggs (standing for life) and salt (purity). Edmund Howe, in his edition of John Stow's Chronicles of England, remembered that in the 1560s and 70s "…it was not the use and custom (as now it is) for godfathers and godmothers generally to give plate at the baptism of children (as spoons, cuppes, and such like) but onely to give christening shirts, with little bands and cuffs wrought either with silke or blew thread, the best of them, for chief persons weare, edged with a small lace of blacke silke and gold…" |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | MISC.1061-1992 |
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| Record created | July 1, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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