Description:
Woman’s black silk mourning veil made of very finely woven black plain weave silk. The rectangular shape suggests its possible use, draped over a hat or bonnet. This veil is a rare survival of finely woven mourning textiles for dress, and is a good example of the kinds of textiles mid 19th-century women of means living in New England might have worn for mourning a deceased loved one. This veil is decorated with an open work or faggoting/drawnwork border on all four sides, which provides the only hint of decoration on this textile, which would have been worn for deepest first or possibly second period of mourning. The hem on all four sides is actually doubled up fabric with 1/8” wide seam allowances turned in. Then these edges are attached to the main body of the veil through the decorative technique. Descended in the Conant family of the greater Boston area, or perhaps the Hawley family of Farmington and West Hartford, Connecticut.
Subjects:
Textile fabrics; Silk Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2016.8.4 |
