Description:
Woman's one piece, long black coat of black medium-weight silk taffeta. Turned down collar curving down into lapels. The narrow silhouette suggests a date of c. 1910. The garment is edged in matching black trim (braid), possibly silk. The silk taffeta exhibits areas of splitting, sometimes known as shattering. This condition is most visibly present around the hem, but also appears on the proper left sleeve head, near the armscye. It is probably the result of either the black dye (iron or other minerals can break down fibers over time), or perhaps the result of weighting the silk, a process by which minerals are added to the fabric to make it heavier, thus increasing the price when it is sold by the weight. The origins of the coat are unknown, having been donated by a resident of Amherst, Massachusetts.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+F.686H |
