Description:
Girl's two-piece dress of plaid silk in red, green, blue and beige with lace around the neck and wrists, a bustle with buttons down the center, and a layered skirt. A kind of glazed cotton, often referred to as ‘book linen’ (because it was used in the process of binding books), was a common lining for silk dresses from 1840 to 1860. The silk dates to the 1860s; the garment itself has been altered to reflect a date of circa 1880. Similar silk fabric is found in a quilt (HD 2002.26) in the HD collection dating to the 1850s.

Label Text:
A young girl’s first silk dress was a rite of passage. This example perfectly reflects fashionable adult women’s clothing of the period, with its elongated bodice and low bustle. However, the shorter skirt, and reused silk acknowledge its young wearer’s youth.

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2002.56

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