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Gown

1775 - 1785 (printing), 1780 - 1785 (sewing), 1870 - 1905 (altered)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

A woman's gown of striped white muslin, block-printed in coloured floral trails in shades of green, red and blue. The gown is in the English (tight-back) style, open at the front with elbow-length sleeves; the bodice meets at centre front. The bodice sleeves and skirt are lined with pink silk taffeta. The bodice and sleeves areadditionally lined with bleached linen. The pleats at the back are stitched down. A waist seam runs from the bodice fronts to either side of the pleats at centre back. There are two seams in the skirt, which are cartridge-pleated into the waist seam. A narrow border of pinked and box-pleated, coarsely woven, sheer pink silk edges the neckline and bottom edge of the bodice fronts. A wider edging of the pink silk runs along the edges of the skirt fronts.

The gown was altered for fancy dress in the late 19th century. Ruffles of machine-embroidered net were added to the sleeves and lacing panels of cotton were added to the bodice fronts.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Cotton, silk, linen, silk thread, linen thread; hand-woven, block-printed, hand-sewn
Brief description
A woman's gown, 1780-85, English; striped white muslin, block-printed in coloured floral trails, English, 1775-85; altered 1870-1905
Physical description
A woman's gown of striped white muslin, block-printed in coloured floral trails in shades of green, red and blue. The gown is in the English (tight-back) style, open at the front with elbow-length sleeves; the bodice meets at centre front. The bodice sleeves and skirt are lined with pink silk taffeta. The bodice and sleeves areadditionally lined with bleached linen. The pleats at the back are stitched down. A waist seam runs from the bodice fronts to either side of the pleats at centre back. There are two seams in the skirt, which are cartridge-pleated into the waist seam. A narrow border of pinked and box-pleated, coarsely woven, sheer pink silk edges the neckline and bottom edge of the bodice fronts. A wider edging of the pink silk runs along the edges of the skirt fronts.

The gown was altered for fancy dress in the late 19th century. Ruffles of machine-embroidered net were added to the sleeves and lacing panels of cotton were added to the bodice fronts.
Dimensions
  • Shoulder to hem at centre back length: 165.0cm (approx)
  • Bust under armholes circumference: 83.0cm (approx)
  • Length of pattern repeat length: 36.5cm
  • Width of pattern repeat width: 35.5cm
Production typeUnique
Object history
Purchased from Mrs K Boughton in 1905
Collection
Accession number
351-1905

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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