Dress
1892-1894 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This dress would have been worn for fashionable day wear. It has a fitted bodice, with a pointed waist, and a frilled collar and cuffs trimmed with gauze and a machine-embroidered border. The leg-of-mutton sleeves are long, full, gathered at the shoulders and gauged at the insides of the elbows.
The marked, horizontal emphasis at the shoulder line meant that it was often difficult to wear fitted coats and jackets out of doors. The short, circular cape therefore came into its own for both day and evening wear.
The growth of the sleeve was balanced by an increase in the size of the skirt. In about 1892, flared skirts were introduced. They grew to their widest extent in about 1895, along with the sleeve, and had names such as 'the bell', 'the fan' and 'the umbrella skirt'.
The low collar is an unusual feature, more common towards the end of the 1890s than at the beginning. Since the dress has been let out, suggesting a longer period of use, it may be a later alteration.
The marked, horizontal emphasis at the shoulder line meant that it was often difficult to wear fitted coats and jackets out of doors. The short, circular cape therefore came into its own for both day and evening wear.
The growth of the sleeve was balanced by an increase in the size of the skirt. In about 1892, flared skirts were introduced. They grew to their widest extent in about 1895, along with the sleeve, and had names such as 'the bell', 'the fan' and 'the umbrella skirt'.
The low collar is an unusual feature, more common towards the end of the 1890s than at the beginning. Since the dress has been let out, suggesting a longer period of use, it may be a later alteration.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Printed silk, silk gauze, velvet, lined with silk, whalebone, boned, metal, machine embroidered |
| Brief description | Dress of printed silk, possibly made in France or Italy, 1892-1894 |
| Physical description | Dress of printed silk. The silk has alternating stripes of cornflowers on a cream ground and black seed pods on beige. It has a fitted bodice with a pointed waist. The boned silk bodice lining fastens with hooks and eyes under the draped insertion of cream silk gauze. There are frilled collars and cuffs of the same gauze with a machine-embroidered border. The leg-of-mutton sleeves are long, full, gathered at the shoulders and gauged at the insides of the elbows. The skirt has a straight-cut front, darted at the hips, and is gored at the sides and tightly gathered at the centre of the back. It is faced with white silk and the hem is bound with pink velvet. |
| Credit line | Given by the Comtesse de Tremereuc |
| Object history | The low collar is an unusual feature, more common towards the end of the 1890's than at the beginning. Since the dress has been let out, suggesting a longer period of use, this may be a later alteration. |
| Production | This dress would have been specifically made to the customer's requirements, and was possibly unique. |
| Summary | This dress would have been worn for fashionable day wear. It has a fitted bodice, with a pointed waist, and a frilled collar and cuffs trimmed with gauze and a machine-embroidered border. The leg-of-mutton sleeves are long, full, gathered at the shoulders and gauged at the insides of the elbows. The marked, horizontal emphasis at the shoulder line meant that it was often difficult to wear fitted coats and jackets out of doors. The short, circular cape therefore came into its own for both day and evening wear. The growth of the sleeve was balanced by an increase in the size of the skirt. In about 1892, flared skirts were introduced. They grew to their widest extent in about 1895, along with the sleeve, and had names such as 'the bell', 'the fan' and 'the umbrella skirt'. The low collar is an unusual feature, more common towards the end of the 1890s than at the beginning. Since the dress has been let out, suggesting a longer period of use, it may be a later alteration. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.368&A-1960 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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