1835 Printed wool dress
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1834-1837 A dress in printed wool twill.
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The back of the dress
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Detail of the front of the bodice, showing the extra pieces gathered in to the centre front seam.
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Detail of the shoulder from above, showing the bands; the neck edge is at the top of the image and the top of the cartridge pleated sleeve at the bottom.
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Detail of the lower sleeve, showing the two bands gathering it in.
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Detail of the fabric
Description
The fine white wool twill has a block printed pattern in crimson, pale blue, beige and dark brown.
The bodice and sleeves are lined with white cotton; there are six hooks and worked bars down the centre back opening, and one at the waist, but remains of stitches indicate that there were originally two there. The self waistband, 1⅝" wide, has white cotton on the inside.
A shaped band along the top of the shoulders has piped seams with the front and back panels. The neck edge is piped, as are the centre front seam, side back seams and armhole seams.
On the front bodice a 12" wide piece is gathered into about 2½" at each armhole 2" down from the shoulder, and into 2½" at the centre front seam, 4" down from the neck edge.
The sleeves are cartridge pleated into the armhole seams, and gathered into two bands with piped edges below the elbow; these are ⅜" wide, 6½" up from the ends, and further down ¼" wide, 3½" from ends; they pull in the lower sleeves tightly to the wearer's forearms. The ends are gathered into piped seams with self cuffs, 2¼" deep, which have white cotton backs, and are fastened with two hooks and worked bars. A small tear half way down the right sleeve has been clumsily mended.
The skirt is cartridge pleated all round into the waistband, and has a centre back opening.
Contemporary illustrations
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Portrait of a Young Lady by an unknown artist, c.1835. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Andrew W. Mellon Collection
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Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Pierre Duval Le Camus, c.1835. Image source Galerie la Nouvelle Athene.
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Fashion plate in Le Follet, May 1835
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Countess of Blessington, author of Conversations with Lord Byron, by Daniel Maclise c.1835
