Gown
1744 (designed), 1744-1745 (weaving), 1745-1750 (sewing), 1760s (altered), 1870-1910 (altered)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Woman’s gown of ivory silk satin figured in a floral design and brocaded with coloured silks in a pattern of large flowers and leaves. The gown is front opening, the bodice lined with linen. It has a fitted back and elbow-length sleeves with double, scalloped ruffles. The skirts are made of 6 lengths of silk, gathered into a waist seam.
The gown was probably first made 1745-50 and then altered in the 1760s to update the style and possibly for another wearer. The hem was taken up, the robings altered and the top sleeve ruffles converted to cuffs and white silk fringe added. The gown was later altered in the late 19th century for fancy dress. The side seams of the bodice were taken in and the waist seam reconfigured. Ties were added on the inside skirts to create a polonaise/bustle effect and the sleeve ruffles and front skirt panels lined with ivory silk sarsenet.
The gown was probably first made 1745-50 and then altered in the 1760s to update the style and possibly for another wearer. The hem was taken up, the robings altered and the top sleeve ruffles converted to cuffs and white silk fringe added. The gown was later altered in the late 19th century for fancy dress. The side seams of the bodice were taken in and the waist seam reconfigured. Ties were added on the inside skirts to create a polonaise/bustle effect and the sleeve ruffles and front skirt panels lined with ivory silk sarsenet.
Object details
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Silk, linen; hand-woven, brocaded, hand sewn |
| Brief description | Woman's gown, British, 1760s, of ivory figured silk satin, brocaded with coloured silks, 1744, Spitalfields, altered 1870-1910 |
| Physical description | Woman’s gown of ivory silk satin figured in a floral design and brocaded with coloured silks in a pattern of large flowers and leaves. The gown is front opening, the bodice lined with linen. It has a fitted back and elbow-length sleeves with double, scalloped ruffles. The skirts are made of 6 lengths of silk, gathered into a waist seam. The gown was probably first made 1745-50 and then altered in the 1760s to update the style and possibly for another wearer. The hem was taken up, the robings altered and the top sleeve ruffles converted to cuffs and white silk fringe added. The gown was later altered in the late 19th century for fancy dress. The side seams of the bodice were taken in and the waist seam reconfigured. Ties were added on the inside skirts to create a polonaise/bustle effect and the sleeve ruffles and front skirt panels lined with ivory silk sarsenet. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by F.D. Worthington Esq. |
| Object history | Woven by Captain John Baker to a design by Anna Maria Garthwaite (T.393-1971) and given by F.D. Worthington Esq. of Derby. |
| Bibliographic reference | N.K.Rothstein, Silk Designs of the Eighteenth Century in the Collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Thames and Hudson, 1990, pl. 208.
British Textile Design in the Victoria and Albert Museum, ed. Donald King, Tokyo, 1980, Vol. I, colour plate 193. The design is plate 207. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.85-1951 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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