Description:
Over-gown made of sheer plain-weave, bleached white muslin (or mull, an especially fine muslin) with tambour work embroidered floral sprigs scattered thoughout, and a pointed train, and plain weave linen, which was acquired from Historic Northampton (acc. # 1986.143.1). A hand-written note came with the dress: "This dress belonged to a lady from Townsend Mass....has a pointed train. It must be about 100 years old." By the end of the 18th century, fashionable women’s dress had changed from heavy, colorful and voluminous silk gowns to sheer, often white ones made of cotton that skimmed the body beneath. In keeping with this new aesthetic, the maker of this dress manipulated a fine cotton muslin fabric from India known as mull into the height of Neoclassical fashion. The skirt’s train was cleverly constructed using a square of fabric inserted on the bias, so that the train clung close to the wearer’s heels, eliminating any unfashionable bulk. The dress, which is hand-stitched throughout, has a long, low scoop neck; is very high-waisted with a center-front opening; and there is a narrow waistband. Short sleeves are set back deeply at the back, and the center back bodice is gathered into the waistband at the center back. The skirt is long and stitched to the waistband without gathers or pleats. There is a horizontal pleat above the hem on the front and sides of the skirt. A panel of bias-cut fabric is set at the back of the skirt; the panel starts with a point at the center back waist and becomes wider down to the hem of the dress where it continues to form a train that tapers back down to a point. The sheer fabric indicates that this was worn over an opaque underdress. It is likely that the garment, in its present state, may have been remade from an earlier garment.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2008.4.1 |
