Description:
Colonial Revival (18th century design) pale green/blue and ecru cotton brocade- or jacquard-patterned dress worn by Miss C. Alice Baker (1833-1909) at her ball at the Frary House on August 25, 1892. When C. Alice Baker purchased the Frary House in 1890, she dreamed of restoring the home in order to hold a colonial-style ball in the tavern ballroom on the second floor. On August 25, 1892, she organized a ball which requested guests to dress in early 18th-century costume. Historic Deerfield owns a few individual photographs of the ball (HD 69.1347 - 69.1349) and a scrapbook of the event (HD 2009.5). Baker's Colonial Revival-style gown was probably created especially for the ball, perhaps from imported fabric obtained in the Boston area. Despite its quotations of 18th-century styles, the garment's construction, as well as the fabric pattern and colorway, possess contemporary elements, resembling informal wrappers or dressing gowns from the late 19th-century Aesthetic Movement.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+69.1193 |
