Cream and Brown Printed and Striped Bodice

Brief Item Record

Title: Cream and Brown Printed and Striped Bodice

Date: 1867 (circa)

Description: cream lightweight silk with narrow brown stripe, perpendicular pattern of a light brown wider stripe with brief patches of dark brown (paintbrush effect); dark brown velvet ribbon (probably silk, but unsure); sateen weave cotton (or possibly linen) cream lining; metal hooks and eyes Tight-fitting bodice, dropped shoulders with puffs at top of sleeves. Closes CF with hidden hooks and eyes; high close neckline, no collar (current collar not original), self-piping at neckline; vertical stripes of ruching with narrow ribbon detailing front and back; two vertical darts either side at front; attached belt of same materials, with ribbons at edges and silk and ribbon rosette detail at CF; armscyes self-piped, puffs at top of sleeves have 4 ribbons making a sort of cage, apparently only attached at seams of puff, lower sleeve two pieces, curved but no additional shaping (no darts or godets), 3 ribbon stripe at cuff, only on front/top of sleeve; bodice fully lined.

Full Item Record

Dublin Core

Identifier

VC1992045

Title

Cream and Brown Printed and Striped Bodice

Description

cream lightweight silk with narrow brown stripe, perpendicular pattern of a light brown wider stripe with brief patches of dark brown (paintbrush effect); dark brown velvet ribbon (probably silk, but unsure); sateen weave cotton (or possibly linen) cream lining; metal hooks and eyes Tight-fitting bodice, dropped shoulders with puffs at top of sleeves. Closes CF with hidden hooks and eyes; high close neckline, no collar (current collar not original), self-piping at neckline; vertical stripes of ruching with narrow ribbon detailing front and back; two vertical darts either side at front; attached belt of same materials, with ribbons at edges and silk and ribbon rosette detail at CF; armscyes self-piped, puffs at top of sleeves have 4 ribbons making a sort of cage, apparently only attached at seams of puff, lower sleeve two pieces, curved but no additional shaping (no darts or godets), 3 ribbon stripe at cuff, only on front/top of sleeve; bodice fully lined.

Date

1867 (circa)

Subject

Clothing and dress

Extent

32 inches (chest), 25 inches (waist), 15.5 inches (center front length), 15.5 inches (center back length), other measurements: armscye 9 from neck lower sleeve: outer seam 17, inner seam 11.5

Medium

cotton
metal
silk

Type

Physical Object

Temporal Coverage

1850s
1860s

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/

Rights Holder

© Vassar College Costume Collection. Images in this collection may be used for teaching, classroom presentation, and research purposes only. For other reuse, reproduction and publication of these images, contact costumeshop@vassar.edu.

Costume Item Type Metadata

Cataloguer with Date

Margaret Thompson 4/23/10

Color Main

cream

Color Secondary

brown

Chest

32

Waist

25

Center Front Length

15.5

Center Back Length

15.5

Measurements Other

armscye 9 from neck lower sleeve: outer seam 17, inner seam 11.5

All Measurements

32 inches (chest), 25 inches (waist), 15.5 inches (center front length), 15.5 inches (center back length), other measurements: armscye 9 from neck lower sleeve: outer seam 17, inner seam 11.5

Date Earliest

1862

Date Latest

1872

Gender

womenswear

Classification

costume
clothing

Category

Tops

Public Information

Would be helpful to know if lining is cotton or linen for conservation purposes; needs to be stored better so that puff sleeves are no longer flattened.

Condition Term

good

Condition Description

some ribbons loose or detachid, belt coming loose, stains at underarms and a few water stains, fraying at cuffs, collar not original, been let out in back seams

Storage Location

K4

Exhibition Notes

The construction of this bodice, with the exception of the sleeves, is nearly identical to that of the double-point bodice, but the look is entirely different. The striped vertical ruching and narrow brown velvet ribbon lend the dress a rather Renaissance appearance, particularly when taken together with the sleeves, which have puffs at the top, with a decidedly Elizabethan velvet ribbon cage. This second bodice from the Vassar collection comes from a more carefree year than the other bodice, with its fanciful, elaborate decorations and bold print fabric. The date of 1867-68 makes sense, as it would be after the Civil War, and thus fancier dresses would be more appropriate. The dress is also probably for a younger woman, as the measurements are more in keeping with the average sizes of women at the time.
Researched by Margaret Thompson ‘10

Work Type

bodice

Pattern

stripes

Citation

“Cream and Brown Printed and Striped Bodice,” Vassar College Costume Collection, accessed December 2, 2023, https://vccc.vassarspaces.net/items/show/717.

Related Items:

http://vcomeka.com/vccc/images/1992.045.condition2010.pdf