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Gown

Gown

  • Place of origin:

    Great Britain, UK (made)

  • Date:

    1770-1779 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown (production)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Silk and linen, hand-woven and hand-sewn, and lined with linen

  • Credit Line:

    Given by Miss E. M. Cooke

  • Museum number:

    T.471 to B-1980

  • Gallery location:

    In Storage

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The rosettes in the fly fringe (braid) of this sack-back gown are made of coils of floss silk. Composed of contrasting or graduated shades of white, pink and maroon, some of the rosettes have been wired, allowing them to stand out from the gown. The fringe itself is made of a core thread of linen, wrapped in dark green silk with short knotted tufts of white and green silk. The overall effect, like most fly fringe, is to mimic a twisting stem sprouting tiny leaves and flowers.

The green and white satin has additional shaded stripes of darker green and brown. Such patterns of complex and subtly coloured stripes are characteristic of 1770s dress fabrics. Individual sprays of pansies, morning glories, auriculas, carnations, bluebells and roses, embroidered in chenille thread, echo the floral theme of the fringe.

Physical description

Woman's sack-back gown with a stomacher and petticoat made of striped green and white satin trimmed with a fly fringe and embroidered in chenille with floral sprays. These include pansies, morning glories, ranunculas, carnations and harebells and rosebuds and additionally decorated with predominantly green and red floral braid.
[Gown] Sack back gown with moderate fullness pleated at the hip pocket opening and double pleated gathered cuffs additionally trimmed with a satin silk bow and an open front decorated with a self material pleated zig-zag applied over the stitched robing.
[Stomacher] Stomacher trimmed with a bow and a braid while worked eyelets decorate the centre front.
[Petticoat] Petticoat is trimmed with a matching flounce at the hem.

Place of Origin

Great Britain, UK (made)

Date

1770-1779 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Silk and linen, hand-woven and hand-sewn, and lined with linen

Marks and inscriptions

'COOKE 1786'

Descriptive line

Gown with a stomacher and petticoat of embroidered silk satin, Great Britain, 1770-1779

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

Hart, Avril and Susan North, Historical Fashion in Detail: The 17th and 18th Centuries, London: V&A Publications, 1998, p. 134

Materials

Linen (material); Silk satin

Techniques

Hand sewing; Hand embroidery; Hand weaving

Subjects depicted

Stripes

Categories

Textiles; Fashion; Women's clothes

Production Type

Unique

Collection code

T&F

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Qr_O127211
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