1820s Green silk dress
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1818-1826 A green silk dress

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The back of the dress
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Detail of the fabric
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Detail of the leno weave of the gauze sleeves
Description
The silk has a woven pattern of white spots.
The bodice is mounted on cream silk, but the sleeves and skirt are unlined.
The neck edge has a ⅜" wide hem over which a ¾" wide white cotton tape has been sewn at a later date as a channel all round for a ³⁄₁₆" wide cotton drawstring. Under this at the centre front a bow of cream silk ribbon, ⅜" wide, is visible, probably the ends of the original drawstring through the hem round the front neck edge; there may have been similar drawstrings round the back neck edge but they are no longer to be found.
The self waistband is 1⅛" wide, with two hooks and eyes at the centre back opening; the bodice has no original fastenings down the back, but three press studs have been sewn much later inside the left back edge with no corresponding studs on the other side.
The ends of the short puffed sleeves are gathered into ½" wide self bands; gathered over the top are much wider oversleeves of green silk leno weave gauze which taper down to the wrists where the ends are slightly gathered into three overlapping bias-cut bands, about 1¼" wide and also slightly gathered.
The skirt is mostly sewn flat into the waistband with gathers each side of the centre back opening, for 4½" on the left and 3½" on the right. The side-back seam on the right has a 9½" long opening, 3½" down from the waist, probably for access to a pocket tied on underneath.
The 2½" deep hem is slightly padded. Above that are two rows of box-pleated frills in the gauze, about 2¼" deep on a heading about ½" wide and sewn on in wavy lines.
The dress may have had a self belt or been worn with a contrasting sash.
Contemporary illustrations
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Josephina Fridrix by Henri-François Riesener, 1816
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Fashion plate Costume Parisien, 1824
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Fashion plate of a Dinner Dress in Ackermann's Repository, 1826
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Frederica of Sweden by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1826