1830s Sleeve supports
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1828-1836 A single sleeve support, originally from a pair.
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The side of the support next to the wearer's body; fragments of the threads used to stitch the support to the armhole seam can be seen in the binding of the top opening
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The sleeve support from below
Description
This would have been one of a pair, to be attached to the inside of the top of leg-of-mutton sleeves to hold them out.
It is made of two layers of brown cotton with down filling between them, so it is very light.
The top opening is bound with a self band ⅜" wide, and most of the outer fabric is gathered into this. A section 4¼" wide and 3½ deep is sewn in flat, and this would have been next to the wearer's body. A row of running stitches each side of the flat section joins the two layers of cotton and prevents the down getting in to it; there is a ⅜" deep tuck ½" above the lower band and a smaller tuck into the stitching each side.
The lower end has a wider opening with a self band, ¾" wide, and the outer layer is gathered into it, except for the flat section.
Fragments of white cotton thread remain in the top opening which may be from when the support was sewn inside the upper sleeve of a dress, attached at the armhole.
Examples of the type of dress that would make use of this sleeve support can be seen in the section below.