Not on display

Skirt

ca. 1955 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This patchwork skirt was handmade in the 1950s. The maker used fabrics originally created for the London-based couturier Norman Hartnell. They were probably offcuts or fabric samples from his workrooms. Many of the patches are printed or woven dress-silks, but cotton, wool, and even lurex patches appear, documenting the broad range of luxury textiles used by couturiers.

The maker's father was part of the high-end London fashion market. He owned R. L. Salmon Ltd, a London-based dress manufacturer which had exclusive rights to reproduce Jacques Heim's Paris collections between 1957 and 1969. He would have been well-positioned to acquire the fabric samples used to make this skirt.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Patchwork of dress silks, satin, cotton, wool and lurex lined with taffeta
Brief description
Patchwork skirt, made by Naomi Salmon, probably made in London, ca. 1955
Physical description
Full skirt entirely made up from multi-coloured blocks, mostly of dress silks, but including cottons, woollens, satins and green lurex. Each length of patches gradually get wider towards the bottom.

Lined and mounted on a rich sea-green iridescent taffeta with the same fabric flounce around the inside of the hemline. Some discolouration to the lining, particularly where black patches are on the outside.
Dimensions
  • Length: 75cm
Production typeUnique
Credit line
Given by Mrs Naomi Robins.
Object history
Made by Naomi Salmon in the 1950s from dress silks and fabrics used by the house of Hartnell.
Production
Miss Salmon made this skirt using dress silks made for and used by Norman Hartnell.
Summary
This patchwork skirt was handmade in the 1950s. The maker used fabrics originally created for the London-based couturier Norman Hartnell. They were probably offcuts or fabric samples from his workrooms. Many of the patches are printed or woven dress-silks, but cotton, wool, and even lurex patches appear, documenting the broad range of luxury textiles used by couturiers.

The maker's father was part of the high-end London fashion market. He owned R. L. Salmon Ltd, a London-based dress manufacturer which had exclusive rights to reproduce Jacques Heim's Paris collections between 1957 and 1969. He would have been well-positioned to acquire the fabric samples used to make this skirt.
Collection
Accession number
T.134-1998

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdFebruary 9, 2007
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest