1848 Printed wool dress

1848 Printed wool dress
Date	1846-1852
Category	Women
Item	Dress
Fabric	Wool, woven pattern, printed
Decoration	Ribbons
Wearer	-
Maker	-
Acc. no.	HC.D-3.77-2

1846-1852 A dark blue printed wool dress.

The back of the dress
Detail of the front showing the tight gathers into the elongated point of the waist
One of the cuffs
Detail showing the bow at the back waist
Detail of the printed wool fabric
Enlarged detail of the leno fabric at an intersection of solid stripes

Description

The wool is in a leno weave with vertical and horizontal stripes in a more solid weave making window-pane checks about 3" square. The printed pattern is of large flower sprays in white with green details, with a repeat 8⅞" long and 6¾" wide.

The bodice and sleeves are lined with ivory cotton, and there are bones at the bodice centre front, on two darts and on the side seams.

The bodice fronts have five flat pleats into the shoulder seams each side, and then are tightly gathered into a 5" width, held by 11 rows of stitching, 8¼" above the long V which extends below the natural waist. The centre front is open for 11" down from the neck, fastened with 11 hooks and worked bars, and the gathering begins 1½" further down.

The neck edge and the armhole seams are piped.

The main opening is at the centre back, fastened with 16 hooks and eyes down the bodice; a bow at the waist is made of a 1¼" wide strip of the wool, and is 2⅛" across.

The sleeves are flared but are gathered in 5" from the ends with a tape on the inside and a frill of dark blue silk taffeta, 1" wide with an ⅛" wide satin edge stripe, on the outside over the gathers. The ends of the flared cuffs have a double frill of the dark blue silk taffeta, and they are lined with the printed wool. The taffeta frills may be the edge of a ribbon which has been cut lengthways.

The skirt is cartridge pleated into the piped waist seam and is unlined. There is a pocket in the right side front seam, 7" down from the waist and a watch pocket in the left side front seam, ¾" down from the waist.