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Stomacher thumbnail 2
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Stomacher

1730-1750 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

A stomacher is a decorative panel of fabric, usually triangular in shape, worn to fill the space between the front edges of a woman’s open gown. The stomacher formed part of the ensemble of fashionable women’s dress from the 1680s to the 1780s. This example is embroidered in coloured silks in a pattern of leaves and flowers. The diagonal lacing is decorative only, as pin holes in the tabs on either side of the stomacher indicate how it was fastened to the gown.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silk, linen; hand-woven, block-printed, hand-sewn and hand-embroidered
Brief description
Woman's stomacher of blue silk taffeta, 1730-50, British; embroidered with coloured silks, silver thread, block-printed linen lining
Physical description
Woman's stomacher of blue silk taffeta, embroidered in coloured silk twist and couched with silver filé in a floral pattern. It is triangular in shape, with 2 narrow short skirts on each side. It has decorative lacing across the front and 3 tabs of silk on each side for attaching to a gown. The stomacher is lined with linen block-printed with red.
Dimensions
  • Length: 33.0cm (approx)
Credit line
Given by Messrs Harrods Ltd.
Summary
A stomacher is a decorative panel of fabric, usually triangular in shape, worn to fill the space between the front edges of a woman’s open gown. The stomacher formed part of the ensemble of fashionable women’s dress from the 1680s to the 1780s. This example is embroidered in coloured silks in a pattern of leaves and flowers. The diagonal lacing is decorative only, as pin holes in the tabs on either side of the stomacher indicate how it was fastened to the gown.
Associated object
T.708-1913 (Ensemble)
Bibliographic references
  • Avril Hart and Susan North, Historical Fashion in Detail: the 17th and 18th centuries, London: V&A, 1998, p. 200
  • Kim Sloan, A noble art: amateur artists and drawing masters, c.1600-1800, London, British Museum, 2000, pp. 61-62.
Collection
Accession number
T.708B-1913

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Record createdJuly 23, 2007
Record URL
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