White linen Christening gown and petticoat made in England between 1900 and 1920

Given by Christine Boardman, on behalf of her parents Mr and Mrs Frederick Hazel

The gown apparently came from the Old Welwyn/ Codicote area and was found in a dustbin by a member of the family of the donors. It was subsequently used for numerous christenings in the family, beginning with Mr & Mrs Hazel's children Mary (born ca. 1934), Frederick (born ca. 1935) and Christine (born 1951). In the next generation it was worn by Mary's children Alan (born ca. 1955), Martin (born ca. 1957), Susan (born ca. 1960) and John (born ca. 1961); Frederick's children Karen (born ca. 1958), Jeoff (sic) (born ca. 1960), Jackie (born ca. 1962) and Diane (born ca. 1963); and Christine's daughter Emily (born ca. 1979), although not her son Daniel (born ca. 1974) presumably because of modern feeling in some families against dressing a boy in a gown.

Over the years this Christening gown has gained the nickname of ‘The Bin Dress’ because an observant member of the donor’s family pulled it out of a dustbin in the early 1930s and rescued it for further use. It is unlikely that the Museum will ever know the true story of its presence in the bin: perhaps a dispute or even a tragedy, or maybe by then it was simply too old-fashioned? Its lace decoration is in a style that was particularly fashionable around 1900, but by the 1930s, when the dress was thrown away, the latest Christening robes were often much shorter than this and made of synthetic fabrics that were easier to iron.

MISC.217&A-1982