Description:
One-piece wedding dress of tan silk crepe (georgette), featuring short sleeves, a V-neckline, and a tiered skirt. The primary visual interest of the dress consists of a matching silk soutache braid applied in an abstract, vermicelli-like pattern on the bodice bib or plastron, and the ends of the overskirt or apron. Drawn work decorates the seaming on the sleeves and edges the sides of the pointed, draped collar, which serves not only a structural purpose, lending fluidity to the seams, but also a decorative purpose. The collar is further decorated with four globular pendants covered in white glass beads, at each collar point. The dress is lined in a lightweight silk taffeta sometimes referred to as China silk. The dress was worn by Dorothy Cleveland Phelps (1895-1994) of Greenfield, Massachusetts, upon her marriage to Clarence Dewitt Rugg (1892-1989) of Greenfield, on April 2, 1918. Their wedding announcement appeared in the April 3, 1918, edition of "The Springfield Daily Republican." In it, the dress is described as "a gown of flesh-colored georgette crepe." The dress is an important, documented example of locally-worn fashion from the late 19-teens. The material and seaming reflect the increasing influence of lingerie construction techniques at this time as dress fabrics became lighter in weight. This is most evident in the lightweight material and use of fagoting or drawnwork at seaming areas, a technique mastered by French couturiere Madeleine Vionnet. The garment reflects the fashion for fuller, shorter overskirts that were balanced with a narrower, longer underskirts. The free-flowing placement of the soutache applique design reflects an emerging early 20th-century aesthetic in fine art. The dress belonged to the mother of the donor's stepfather. A dress with similar design elements is illustrated in a newspaper advertisement for Springfield, Massachusetts, department store Forbes & Wallace on page 16 of "The Springfield Republican," dated March 30, 1918. The bride could have purchased the dress from the custom dress salon at Forbes & Wallace, or perhaps employed the services of a local dressmaker using the advertised F&W dress as inspiration. The gown's neutral color is a reflection of the scarcity of dyes at this time as a result of lack of access to synthetic dyes which were produced primarily in Germany before WWI. As a result, retailers tried to communicate novelty in color through shades of black, white gray, and cream. For example, the April 1, 1918, edition of "The Springfield Daily Republican" featured an advertisement by local better department store Meekins, Packard and Wheat, Inc., mentioning the newest "shades" of dresses and trim.
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2012.40.1 |
