Tea Coat
c.1915 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This luxurious satin wrap belonged to Heather Firbank. She bought it from Russell & Allen, one of the great London stores of the early 1900s. Heather was daughter of the affluent Member of Parliament Sir Thomas Firbank. Her brother was the novelist Ronald Firbank. According to his biographer, Miriam J. Benkovitz, Heather favoured 'exquisite clothes of a heather colour to complement her name'.
In 1921 Heather's expensive clothes, bought from leading houses, were packed into trunks and put into storage, where they remained for the next 35 years. In 1960 the V&A acquired well over 100 items from her wardrobe. This collection forms an invaluable record of a stylish and wealthy woman's taste between about 1905 and 1920. Many items appeared in an exhibition at the V&A in 1960. It was called 'Lady of Fashion: Heather Firbank and what she wore between 1908 and 1921'.
In 1921 Heather's expensive clothes, bought from leading houses, were packed into trunks and put into storage, where they remained for the next 35 years. In 1960 the V&A acquired well over 100 items from her wardrobe. This collection forms an invaluable record of a stylish and wealthy woman's taste between about 1905 and 1920. Many items appeared in an exhibition at the V&A in 1960. It was called 'Lady of Fashion: Heather Firbank and what she wore between 1908 and 1921'.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Satin, lined with silk chiffon, trimmed with silk braid |
| Brief description | Tea coat, lilac silk satin with printed silk lining, Russell & Allen, London, c.1915 |
| Physical description | Satin wrap with rows of small embroidered buttons decorate the mauve indoor wrap. Lined with silk chiffon patterned with flowers in delicate shades of mauve and grey on a black ground. Trimmed with silk braid, fastened with buttons covered in silk satin and silk braid. |
| Object history | Worn by Miss Heather Firbank. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This luxurious satin wrap belonged to Heather Firbank. She bought it from Russell & Allen, one of the great London stores of the early 1900s. Heather was daughter of the affluent Member of Parliament Sir Thomas Firbank. Her brother was the novelist Ronald Firbank. According to his biographer, Miriam J. Benkovitz, Heather favoured 'exquisite clothes of a heather colour to complement her name'. In 1921 Heather's expensive clothes, bought from leading houses, were packed into trunks and put into storage, where they remained for the next 35 years. In 1960 the V&A acquired well over 100 items from her wardrobe. This collection forms an invaluable record of a stylish and wealthy woman's taste between about 1905 and 1920. Many items appeared in an exhibition at the V&A in 1960. It was called 'Lady of Fashion: Heather Firbank and what she wore between 1908 and 1921'. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.46-1960 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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