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Dress
Unknown - Enlarge image
Dress
- Place of origin:
Great Britain, UK (made)
- Date:
1837-1840 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown (production)
- Materials and Techniques:
Printed challis, lined with glazed cotton and linen
- Credit Line:
Given by Miss E. Tucker
- Museum number:
T.184-1931
- Gallery location:
In Storage
This 1830s day dress is made of challis printed with a realistic design of wild strawberries, bamboo, pinks and anemones. In the nineteenth century a fascination with flowers in printed textile design was nothing new, but during the 1830s it received a new impetus. Technical improvements to the printing process and advances in dye chemistry meant that floral prints could be mass-produced at low prices, and the repeal of excise duty on printed textiles in 1831 helped to reduce costs.
Inspiration for floral designs came from a variety of sources, including botanical engravings, pattern books and plants grown in gardens and conservatories.
