White cotton piqué trimmed with white cutwork embridery, UK, 1890-99

Child's coat of white cotton piqué. The yoked single-breasted coat has a round neck with a shaped fall collar edged with braid insertion and a deep scalloped frill of hand-stitched cutwork. The wrist-length sleeves are gathered into a turn-back cuff of self fabric edged with insertion braid and a frill of broderie anglaise; the skirt is finished at the hem with another deep scalloped frill of cutwork, lined with white muslin and matching that on the collar. The garment fastens down the front with a hook and eye at the neck and a vertical row of pearlized buttons and stitched buttonholes; the configuration is for a boy (left over right).

Given by Rosa M J Esdale

Worn by Avice Mary Rivett (born 30th April 1894 in Heaton Norris, Stockport, Cheshire), later Mrs. Esdale. She was the daughter of Louis Rivett J P (1851-1921), who was a director of the Cotton Spinners' Association and who became Lord High Sheriff of Caernavonshire in 1919.

White was a much-used colour iin the clothing of babies and young children at this date, for a number of reasons.

It symbolised the innocence of childhood, was non gender specific, and was also considered more suited to the colouring of young children. On a more practical level, although a white garment showed dirt and stains more readily than a dark coloured one, it had an advantage in being more easily washed, boiled, or bleached. Good quality coloured fabrics were often more expensive; the colours might fade, and some dyes were even poisonous, particularly green, which sometimes contained arsenic.

MISC.512-1992