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

Gown

1745 - 1750 (weaving), 1775 - 1780 (sewing), 1870 - 1910 (altered)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

A woman's gown from cream satin with a brocaded pattern of undulating floral trails in pink, blue, green and brown. The gown has a fitted back, open front and elbow-length sleeves. The bodice is completely separate from the skirts, with a point at the centre back; the fronts meeting at the centre. The bodice and sleeves are lined with linen. The sleeves are shaped with a tuck on the inside arm just above the elbow. The sleeves are trimmed with a ruching of silk edged with a fringe of pink silk gimp and floss.

The gown has been made over in the late 1770s from some earlier garment. And additional 18 cm or so was added to the skirt at the hem, with some awkard piecings. The bodice cut off, reconfigured and resewn. The bodice fronts may have been cut anew; there are no signs of unpicked robings. The ruching and pink fringe were part of this earlier configuration, a strip was used to piece the lengthened hem. Pink buttons (one now missing) were sewn either side of the centre back on the outside, and pink cord loops on the inside waist to loop up the skirts.

In the late 19th century, the bodice front was boned, hooks & eyes added, and a length of fringed ruching added around the neck and to the right front.

At some point later, a facing of white silk was machine-stitched to the hem.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silk, linen, silk thread, linen thread, whale bone, metal; hand-woven brocade and fringe, hand-sewing, machine-sewing
Brief description
A woman's gown, 1775-80, English; Cream satin, coloured floral sprays, Spitalifields, 1745-50; altered 1870-1910
Physical description
A woman's gown from cream satin with a brocaded pattern of undulating floral trails in pink, blue, green and brown. The gown has a fitted back, open front and elbow-length sleeves. The bodice is completely separate from the skirts, with a point at the centre back; the fronts meeting at the centre. The bodice and sleeves are lined with linen. The sleeves are shaped with a tuck on the inside arm just above the elbow. The sleeves are trimmed with a ruching of silk edged with a fringe of pink silk gimp and floss.

The gown has been made over in the late 1770s from some earlier garment. And additional 18 cm or so was added to the skirt at the hem, with some awkard piecings. The bodice cut off, reconfigured and resewn. The bodice fronts may have been cut anew; there are no signs of unpicked robings. The ruching and pink fringe were part of this earlier configuration, a strip was used to piece the lengthened hem. Pink buttons (one now missing) were sewn either side of the centre back on the outside, and pink cord loops on the inside waist to loop up the skirts.

In the late 19th century, the bodice front was boned, hooks & eyes added, and a length of fringed ruching added around the neck and to the right front.

At some point later, a facing of white silk was machine-stitched to the hem.
Dimensions
  • Shoulder to hem at centre back length: 136.0cm (approx)
  • Bust under armholes circumference: 96.5cm (approx)
  • Silk, selvedge to selvedge width: 56.4cm
Credit line
Given by Miss M. Rishbeth
Collection
Accession number
T.158-1978

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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