Description:
Woman's one-piece dress made from blue and white checked plain weave linen or cotton. The dress, which is machine stitched, is known as a Mother Hubbard. Such dresses, made fairly unfitted with a high waistline, were inexpensive garments for working or perhaps during pregnancy. On this example, the skirt is gathered and attached to the bodice on the outside, rather than hiding the gathers inside the waistband. The bodice is lined in a white plain weave cotton or linen. Skirt is unlined. Long coat sleeves (shaped with two seams each). Woman’s one piece unfitted “Mother Hubbard” dress made from blue, white, and pink checked plain weave linen or linen and cotton fabric. The garment is machine stitched, and opens CF, securing with ? mother-of-pearl buttons (the garment doesn’t open all the way down the front, and the last four buttons are only decorative). 1880s.
The garment features a small, rounded, fold down collar. The high bodice yolk is achieved through placement of the gathered skirt high up. Two rows of stitching gather the skirt onto the bodice with a decorative flounce or ruffle that stands about 1” high.
The long, fitted sleeves are constructed as coat sleeves (two seams, and inner and outer sleeve seam), and curve slightly to mirror the natural bend in the arm.
The full skirt of the dress, beginning with the high yoke, could very likely have accommodated a pregnancy. And it could also have been a more utilitarian work garment. One patch pocket on the proper right front hip area. The skirt is slightly longer in back. Rather than constructed to accommodate a fashionable bustle, this more practical garment may have instead been made to accommodate an expanding pregnancy, which would have lifted up the front hem to reduced the front hem as a potential tripping hazard. Skirt hem has a 7 ½” deep gathered self flounce.
Bodice is lined in a white, plain weave cotton.
OL, CF: 47”
OL, CB: 51 ½”
Skirt hem circumference: 98”
Collar height/depth: 1 ½”
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+V.079m4 |
