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Christening cape

Christening cape

  • Place of origin:

    England, Great Britain (made)

  • Date:

    1903-1904 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    unknown (production)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Wool twill, embroidered with silks and lined with silk

  • Credit Line:

    Given by Joyce Pepler

  • Museum number:

    MISC.1241-1991

  • Gallery location:

    In Storage

  • Download image

Grey is an unusual colour for a christening garment, but one that is very much in accord with the Edwardian taste for elegance. This cape is hand-embroidered with flowering rose-like sprays worked in ivory silks, using satin and stem stitches. The two-layered cape had become fashionable for babies during the early 19th century, and was usually white or cream coloured. It replaced the traditional bearing cloth, a shawl of richly coloured fabric, usually in bright colours such as red or blue and lavishly trimmed with lace or braid.

Physical description

Christening cape of pale grey twilled wool lined throughout with pale grey silk, the edges piped in ivory-coloured satin. The garment is hand-embroidered with flowering rose-like sprays worked in ivory silks, using satin and stem stitches. The turn-down collar and the shorter cape are both of silk-lined self fabric embroidered to match the longer (yoked) cape. The garment fastens at the front with hooks and eyes, and a pair of ivory-coloured silk ribbons at the neck front.

Place of Origin

England, Great Britain (made)

Date

1903-1904 (made)

Artist/maker

unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Wool twill, embroidered with silks and lined with silk

Dimensions

Length: 97.5 cm centre back below collar

Object history note

Worn by the donor, née Constance Joyce Murray Senior (born 3/12/1903) who was christened at Christ Church, Gipsy Hill by her father the Reverend T H Senior on 06/01/1904. The cape may also have been worn by her sister, Edith Hope Evelyn Senior (born 15/12/1905), but was not used by any other member of the family.

Descriptive line

Christening cape of embroidered pale grey wool made in England in 1903or 1904

Production Note

The embroidery is Chinese. The cape was made by Mrs Senior's dressmaker, who had also made her wedding dress (T.260 to C-1990).

Materials

Silk (textile); Wool; Silk thread

Techniques

Embroidering

Subjects depicted

Stylized flowers

Categories

Children's clothes

Collection code

MoC

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Qr_O92804
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