Brown and Ivory Print Silk Dress

VC1992012

Brown and Ivory Print Silk Dress

Brown and cream abstract-printed jacquard silk bodice and skirt ensemble, with faux-jacketed bodice and lace front; Bodice: brown and ivory printed jacquard silk; new boning; brown silk lining; deep red wide ribbon at collar and waist; embroidered cotton gauze over cream silk in front panels; cotton applique details beside front panels; cotton lace at cuffs; cotton waist tape; fitted bodice; 3/4 length sleeves; princess seam at back with waist darts; waist dart at front; high neck; lace at the back of the collar, red ribbon added later with bow at back; lace at cuffs; leaf-pattern appliques by front panels; embroidery on gauze panels. Skirt: brown and ivory printed jacquard silk with brown silk taffeta lining and velveteen at hem's interior; cotton tape at waist, metal hook and eye closure; cotton placket by closure; full skirt, full length; constructed in panels that become wide towards hem.

1900 (circa)

Clothing and dress

38 inches (chest), 30 inches (waist), 59.5 inches (center front length), 61.5 inches (center back length), other measurements: Bodice: CF length = 17.5; CB length 19.5,

Skirt:CF length = 4, CB Length = 42; waist = 36,

Ensemble: center front length = 59.5; center back length = 61.5.

Physical Object

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Sharon Scoble, Candice Schuster, Emily Leimkuhler, Molly Turpin 3/4/2010

38

30

59.5

61.5

Bodice: CF length = 17.5; CB length 19.5,

Skirt:CF length = 4, CB Length = 42; waist = 36,

Ensemble: center front length = 59.5; center back length = 61.5.

38 inches (chest), 30 inches (waist), 59.5 inches (center front length), 61.5 inches (center back length), other measurements: Bodice: CF length = 17.5; CB length 19.5,

Skirt:CF length = 4, CB Length = 42; waist = 36,

Ensemble: center front length = 59.5; center back length = 61.5.

For notes on the construction: McMurry, Elsie Frost, 'Chapter 10: Eighth Decade: 1870-1880,'in American Dresses pgs. 453-471--particularly the walking dress (465), which has a very similar skirt and bodice. For image of appropriate underwear: Cunnington, Phillis and C. Willett, The History of Underclothes, 178. The cartridge pleating at the back of the skirt would probably have fit well over similar crinolettes.For general images of 1870s dress: Blum, Stella ed. Harper's Bazaar 1867-1898, pg. 44-45. The History of Costume 2nd ed, pg. 516.

1895

1905

costume

clothing

This ensemble is likely from the early 1870s, particularly 1871-73. Examples of this period's constructions in the bodice are the 2-piece sleeves, the faux-jacket detail, and princess seams in the back (esp. back lining). In the skirt, the flat, gored front is typical of this period of transition when volume was moving to the back of the skirt. The cartridge pleating and much wider gores in the back of the skirt allow for back volume from crinolettes, but not from a bustle of the later 1870s and 1880s. There are a total of nine gores that make up the panels of the skirt.

good

Nov-68

K3

The place of this ensemble in history, circa 1900, comes at the transition from the Victorian era to the 20th century. The dress shows how vibrant rather than stuffy the era was, and shows evolving notions of female movement in dress. The pattern is the work of a particular season, giving the dress its own time stamp and proving its wearer to be an upper class lady. The unique fit of the ensemble to her body is both a display of the woman's wealth, but it also shows a willingness in fashion to accommodate different needs. As an article in Harper's Bazaar noted, very few women were lucky enough to have the exact proportions necessary for the season's fashions. While women could make up for this somewhat through corsetry, by turning to tailors they showed the clothes should above all fit their bodies rather than forcing their bodies to fit their clothes. By taking on a ‘novelty' print and having the garment fit to her, the woman who wore the brown and cream silk ensemble was both daring and savvy. In this outfit, she walked the line between wearing her personality on her bodice sleeves and devoutly following the world of fashion.
In terms of conservation, the skirt had to be re-pleated onto a new waistband. Then, extensive work went into replacing torn sections of the bodice lining and encapsulating the tears throughout the center front section of the bodice.
Researched and Stabilized by Molly Turpin ‘12