Gown thumbnail 1
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Not on display

Gown

1770 - 1780 (weaving), 1775 - 1780 (sewing), 1870 - 1910 (altered)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

A woman's gown of gold-coloured, finely ribbed silk. The gown is in the English (tight-back) style, open at the front, with elbow-length sleeves. The sleeves are shaped to the elbow and are trimmed above the elbow and at the edge with a gathered pinked frill of self material. The bodice meets at the centre front. The bodice and sleeves are lined with bleached linen. The pleats at the back are stitched down; the skirt is finely pleated into the waistseam and held in place with stitching on the inside, 2 cm below the waist. The gown is made of 5 and a half widths of silk. The hem is faced with white silk taffeta. There is a self covered button at each side back seam. The pink cords inside the dress are probably replacements for the originals which looped up the skirt of the gown.

A deep dart (now unpicked) was sewn on each bodice front for fancy dress in the late 19th century.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silk, linen, silk thread, linen thread; hand-woven, hand-seen
Brief description
A woman's gown, 1775-80, Scottish; gold-coloured ribbed silk, British, 1770s; altered 1870-1910
Physical description
A woman's gown of gold-coloured, finely ribbed silk. The gown is in the English (tight-back) style, open at the front, with elbow-length sleeves. The sleeves are shaped to the elbow and are trimmed above the elbow and at the edge with a gathered pinked frill of self material. The bodice meets at the centre front. The bodice and sleeves are lined with bleached linen. The pleats at the back are stitched down; the skirt is finely pleated into the waistseam and held in place with stitching on the inside, 2 cm below the waist. The gown is made of 5 and a half widths of silk. The hem is faced with white silk taffeta. There is a self covered button at each side back seam. The pink cords inside the dress are probably replacements for the originals which looped up the skirt of the gown.

A deep dart (now unpicked) was sewn on each bodice front for fancy dress in the late 19th century.
Dimensions
  • Shoulder to hem at centre back length: 150.0cm (approx)
  • Bust under armholes circumference: 102.0cm (approx)
Production typeUnique
Credit line
Given by Miss A. Maishman
Object history
In correspondence with the V&A in 1972, the donor, Alice Maishman, identified this garment and those acquired with it, as made in Scotland.
Bibliographic reference
Hart, Avril and Susan North, Historical Fashion in Detail: The 17th and 18th Centuries, London: V&A Publications, 1998, p.38
Collection
Accession number
T.104-1972

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Record createdAugust 15, 2006
Record URL
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