Wedding Shirt
1848 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Mr. Eeles wore this shirt for his wedding in 1848. The fine white cambric front of the shirt is hand-embroidered with a regularly repeating motif of trefoils. It was worn with a cream silk satin waistcoat embroidered with a design of lilies of the valley and forget-me-nots. These flowers were popular for weddings, as forget-me-nots symbolise true love and lily of the valley represents purity of heart and happiness.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | cotton and hand-embroidered cambic |
| Brief description | M, 1848, British; Cambric front. Wedding |
| Physical description | Man's shirt, white cotton with embroidered cotton cambric front, buttons up the back. The front of the shirt is embroidered with a fine regular repeating design of trefoils. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Gallery label | Embroidered shirt and waistcoat
Britain
1848
Some bridegrooms chose wedding garments decorated with motifs associated with love. This white satin waistcoat, worn by a Mr Eeles for his wedding in 1848, was embroidered in silk with lilies of the valley and forget-me-nots. In the language of flowers, the former signify purity of heart and the latter true love.
Waistcoat: silk, backed and lined with glazed cotton
Shirt: cotton with cotton embroidery
Given by Francis C. Eeles
V&A: T.561, 562-1919(2011) |
| Credit line | Given by Francis C. Eeles |
| Object history | This shirt and the associated waistcoat (T.562-1919) are associated with the marriage of a Mr Eeles in 1848. At least three Mr Eeles married in 1848, so it is unclear which of them might be associated with this shirt. It was originally thought that this might have been worn by Edwin Eeles, who married Harriet Elizabeth Murray at the India Office for Ecclesiastical Returns, Bengal, on 7 May 1848, but this is now in some doubt. |
| Summary | Mr. Eeles wore this shirt for his wedding in 1848. The fine white cambric front of the shirt is hand-embroidered with a regularly repeating motif of trefoils. It was worn with a cream silk satin waistcoat embroidered with a design of lilies of the valley and forget-me-nots. These flowers were popular for weddings, as forget-me-nots symbolise true love and lily of the valley represents purity of heart and happiness. |
| Associated object | T.562-1919 (Ensemble) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.561-1919 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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