1838 Printed cotton dress

1838 Printed cotton dress
Date	1838-1842
Category	Women
Item	Dress
Fabric	Cotton, printed
Decoration	-
Wearer	-
Maker	-
Acc. no.	HC.D-4.05

1838-1842 Printed cotton muslin dress.

The back of the dress
Detail of the back waist
The top of a sleeve
Detail of the fabric

Description

The cotton muslin has 1⅞" wide groups of seven stripes made of two thicker threads, about ¼" apart, between heavier stripes, ¾" wide. The pattern is printed in red, brown and dark brown and the design of stylised flowers and leafy stems is arranged in stripes.

The bodice and sleeves are lined with ivory cotton, and the centre back opening is fastened with five hooks and eyes; the pair at the top are sewn on opposite sides from the rest and there is no hook and eye at the waist.

The self waistband is 1½" wide and has ½" wide tapes sewn at the centre back ends. A worked eyelet is 1¾" in from the right-hand side edge for the tape on the left edge to be threaded through and tied round the waist to the other tape; this would have been hidden by a self or contrasting belt, now missing.

The front is decorated with three overlapping bias strips,1½" wide altogether, which cover the darts and curve round to the armholes at the top; their inside edges are piped, as are the armhole seams, centre front seam and the neck edge. The backs have a single bias strip, ⅜" wide, sewn on in a curve echoing the front decoration, with piping off-centre.

The sleeves are cartridge pleated into 7" of the top of the armhole and the pleats are held together with four rows of stitching about, ⅝" apart, for a further 3". A bias cut frill, 2" deep, with a piped edge covers the point where the pleats are released. The sleeve ends are gathered into 2" deep cuffs which have piping all round the edges and are fastened by a hook and eye. It is possible that the sleeves were originally full from the shoulder and were stitched down as the fashion evolved during the 1830s.

The skirt is cartridge pleated into the waist and has a centre back opening, 7½" long; the hem is faced with a band of softer cream cotton, 19¼" deep.