1903 Printed muslin dress
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1902-1906 A dress in printed cotton muslin
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The back of the dress
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The dress from the side
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Detail of the front showing the velvet ribbon trim
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Detail of the fabric
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The label on the inside waistband at the centre back of the bodice; the hook for attaching to the skirt can be seen
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Detail of the ecru machine-made lace round the skirt
Description
The muslin has a printed design of large pink flower sprays linked with trails of blue flowers; the repeat measures 9" high by 10" wide. The back of the bodice and the two centre back skirt panels have the fabric used with the design upside down.
The bodice and skirt are separate, and both are lined with white cotton. The bodice has ten hooks and eyes down the centre front of the lining, alternating in pairs each side, and another hook and eye at the waist. The inside waistband is 1¼" wide chevron tape with a buckle on the left-hand end.
The loose inner edges of each side front bodice panel have two sets of ⅛" wide tucks, 1¾" apart, with ivory straight-edged machine-made lace, 1½" wide, between them. The centre panel is cream silk twill, now fragile, with ⅛" wide tucks from the neck going down for 4¾", at the centre, from where the fabric spreads out in a puff, gathered in to a ¼" band at the waist; a hook on the left lower end attaches to a worked bar on the lining 1½" up from the waist which gives the bloused effect, and the other end is stitched to the lining in a corresponding position. The panel is sewn to the lining under the right-hand side front panel, and under the left-hand side front there are three hooks down the side of the tucked part to attach to worked bars on the lining; three hooks spaced down inside the edge of the side front panel are for worked bars on the centre panel.
The lower edge has a black silk velvet ribbon, 1½" wide, as a waistband; a dart at the centre front makes a shallow point, and the end, 3" to the left, is mitred with a hook to attach to a worked bar on the other end. Two 6" lengths of the ribbon are attached under the side panels and cross over the front at the base of the central tucks with a diamanté ring of graduated width at that point.
A flat collar of the muslin goes round the back neck and is sewn 8½" down the edges of the side front panels; it is 6" wide including the 3" wide strip of ecru scalloped-edged machine-made lace on the edge. The stand collar is 2½" high, dipping to 1¾" at the centre front, and fastens at the left shoulder with three hooks and worked bars. It has the straight-edged lace round it, with another strip, ½" wide and ½" of the muslin above that at the back; it was lined with cream silk taffeta which has now disintegrated. A length of the black silk velvet ribbon goes round the neck, crossing over at the centre front with a diamanté ring; this has now become detached but remains of stitches on the stand collar indicate its position,
The back has the 1½" wide straight-edged lace down the centre with a set of three tucks, ³⁄₁₆" wide, each side. A hook pointing down inside the waist at the centre back is to attach to an eye on the skirt.
The sleeves have ³⁄₁₆" wide tucks at the top, going down for 6½" , where they then puff out, gathered in to the lining 8½" further down. The lower sleeves have three strips of the 1½" wide straight-edged lace spaced round them, and projecting beyond the sleeve ends to lie over the wearer's hands; they are 1", 1½" and 2" long. The longest lies over the seam in the muslin which is open for 1¼" at the end and fastened with two hooks and worked bars.
The skirt has a waistband of chevron tape, 1¼" wide, with a silk/cotton tape, ½" wide over its lower edge; there are two hooks and eyes ¾" along it, and the inner ones of these appear to have been moved from 1" further from the opening. The skirt has a pleat, 1¼" deep each side of the centre back opening; the 10" long placket has two Nicholls dress clips spaced down it, and there is a pocket inside the left side.
A length of the ivory straight-edged lace lies over the centre back seam and also over the other four seams. The flounce gathered round lower skirt is cut on the bias and is 9" deep; it has five pin-tucks, about ⅜" apart, round its lower edge above the ½" deep hem. Ecru machine-made lace edging, 4" deep, is sewn above that in curves which rise to points on the lace strips, and have pleats at their lowest parts. The top of the curve on the left front is 1" higher than that on the right-hand side. The skirt lining also has a gathered bias-cut flounce, 8" deep, with three ⅛" tucks round the hem.
Contemporary illustrations
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Fashion drawing in The Tatler, April 1903
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Fashion drawing from The Lady's Realm, July 1903
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Scene from Billy's Little Love Affair at the Criterion Theatre, The Tatler, October 1903
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Dora Cole (right) with friends, 1904
History
The dress belonged to Rose Gibson (Rose Wood), and was made by Tarn & Co.; their label is printed in gold at the centre back of the bodice inside waistband and on the front of the skirt waistband. This was a large department store on Newington Causeway, Elephant and Castle, and the Wood family shopped there often. Their purchases would be sent by railway to Swanley Junction from where they would be collected by the pony and trap.
Contemporary items
1903 Ivory silk evening dress with loopy ribbons