Sack  thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Sack

1760-1769 (made), ca. 1742 (hand woven)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This modest sack of the 1760s is made of blue silk damask. The pattern of large flowers and leaves dates from about 1742. Silks pre-dating the construction of a particular dress, often by a decade or more, are quite common in 18th-century dress. Once woven, bolts of silk might be available for sale for many years, and it was not unusual for purchasers to store lengths of silk before making them up or giving them away as a gift. The high cost of woven silks meant that their value did not decrease, even as fashions changed. Characteristic of the 1760s are the double sleeve ruffles edged with a matching silk fringe.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Sack
  • Petticoat
Materials and techniques
Silk and linen, hand woven and hand sewn
Physical description
A woman's sack of blue silk damask, trimmed with blue fringe
Production typeUnique
Credit line
Given by the Surrey County Federation of Women's Institutes
Subjects depicted
Summary
This modest sack of the 1760s is made of blue silk damask. The pattern of large flowers and leaves dates from about 1742. Silks pre-dating the construction of a particular dress, often by a decade or more, are quite common in 18th-century dress. Once woven, bolts of silk might be available for sale for many years, and it was not unusual for purchasers to store lengths of silk before making them up or giving them away as a gift. The high cost of woven silks meant that their value did not decrease, even as fashions changed. Characteristic of the 1760s are the double sleeve ruffles edged with a matching silk fringe.
Bibliographic reference
Hart, Avril and Susan North, Historical Fashion in Detail: The 17th and 18th Centuries, London: V&A Publications, 1998, p. 94
Collection
Accession number
T.122-1957

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Record createdAugust 15, 2006
Record URL
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