Fancy Dress thumbnail 1
Fancy Dress thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Fancy Dress

1752 (designed), 1752 (weaving), 1755 - 1775 (sewing), 1895 - 1900 (reconstructed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

A woman's fancy dress of white figured silk, brocaded with floral motifs in coloured silks . The design of the silk shows isolated brocaded sprigs set against a tabby ground, elaborately patterned with a self-coloured flushing weft. The colours are reds and blues with emerald green leaves.

The garment was once a sack, probably made between 1755 and 1775. It was unpicked at some point and reconstructed for fancy dress. It is made of 4 widths of silk; some of the original 18c piecing remains, but the seams have all been resewn by machine. The bodice was resewn to a late 1890s pleated white cotton bodice. The sleeves are squares of silk sewn to long, gathered cotton muslin sleeves.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silk, cotton, silk thread, cotton thread; hand-woven brocade, hand-sewing, machine-sewing
Brief description
A woman's fancy dress, English 1895-1900, of white figured silk brocaded with coloured flowers, from design 5989.8, by Anna Maria Garthwaite and woven by Simon Julins, Spitalfields, 1752
Physical description
A woman's fancy dress of white figured silk, brocaded with floral motifs in coloured silks . The design of the silk shows isolated brocaded sprigs set against a tabby ground, elaborately patterned with a self-coloured flushing weft. The colours are reds and blues with emerald green leaves.

The garment was once a sack, probably made between 1755 and 1775. It was unpicked at some point and reconstructed for fancy dress. It is made of 4 widths of silk; some of the original 18c piecing remains, but the seams have all been resewn by machine. The bodice was resewn to a late 1890s pleated white cotton bodice. The sleeves are squares of silk sewn to long, gathered cotton muslin sleeves.
Dimensions
  • Dress length: 69in
  • Shoulder to hem at centre back length: 170.0cm (approx)
  • Bust under armholes circumference: 90.5cm (approx)
  • Silk, selvedge to selvedge width: 51.2cm
  • Design repeat length: 71.7cm
Production typeUnique
Credit line
Given by the family Green
Collection
Accession number
T.36-1973

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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