Description:
Stomacher worked on Hessian linen with silver threads and polychrome silks in a floral pattern; the edges are unfinished. By the mid-18th century, women's fashionable dress consisted of an open robe worn with a petticoat. The sides of the bodice did not always meet in the middle; frequently a triangular insert known as a stomacher was employed to fill in the gap. Stitched or laced to the open robe, the practical function of stomachers was often buried beneath layers of applied decoration, including trim, metallic embroidery, or patterned fabric. For participants in Colonial Revival balls held during the 20th century, a reproduction stomacher was fairly easy to make, though with perhaps a more modern aesthetic.

Subjects:
Textile fabrics; Linen; Silk

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+93.854

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.