1951 Wedding dress
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1951 A wedding dress in printed rayon satin.
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The back of the dress mounted
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Detail of the fabric, showing part of the design
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The label sewn to the facing of the back neck.
Description
The satin has a print of large flowers in white paste which shows as a contrast to the shiny satin, and the design measures 15¼" high by 12¼" wide. The skirt is cut in flared sections so much of it hangs on the bias, which tends to distort the design.
The dress is unlined, and the neck edge and sleeve ends have facings of the satin. An opening in the centre back seam is closed by a zip fastener; it is 7" long above the waist and 4½" below. The 16 covered buttons down the front bodice are for decoration.
The shoulder seams curve up at the neck for about 1½" forming a stand collar which curves down at the front into the opening above the buttons trim.
The peplum is gathered all round into the waist seam, widening from nothing at the centre front, curving down to 8" at the sides and 9¼" at the centre back, where it is open for 4¼" from the waist, allowing access to the zip fastener. It is lined with white rayon crepe.
The sleeve heads are gathered into the armhole seams, and there are shoulder pads inside, covered in the satin. The sleeve ends are pointed to cover the back of the hands, and the sleeves have extra length which fall into folds over the lower arm.
The flared panels of the skirt are slightly gathered at the sides into the waist seam under the peplum, and the ¼" hem is machine-sewn all round.
The label sewn to the back neck facing says that this is "A Bien Coupé" Model".
History
The dress was worn by Kathleen May Dufty for her wedding to (John) Duncan McNair at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary church (CofE), Madley, Hereford, September 1, 1951. They had two daughters, Sue Corcoran and Jill Batchelor.
From Sue Corcorran:
"Dad said: “It was a nice sunny day I remember. I don’t know how many people were there. I expect about 40, family and friends.”
He said they met because his sister Sheila Parkinson (neé McNair) worked at Kent Horticultural Institute at Hextable, near Swanley, Kent, which did pioneering work for women’s training.
His sister Sheila said she thought she and her sister Christine Jackson were driven to Madley by Christine’s husband Jim. Christine and Jim lived at Swanley.
I think Mum’s father was unable to go to the wedding because he was unwell and living in a home.
Those there included Dad’s father “Jack” John Ballantyne McNair, his best man, who was a friend, his mother Susie McNair, Mum’s sisters Mary and Dorothy and her brother Harold, who I think may have given her away. A friend of hers is pictured as a bridesmaid with that group of people.
Kathleen, known as Kath, had come to the college to work as a teacher/demonstrator after studying horticulture at Aberystwyth in Wales.
Dad or Mum told me (Sue) they first met when she was teaching students in a coal hole at the college! I think the subject may have been bulbs.
I feel it was a brave and educated route into work for a woman then. She was quite a long way from home. She was the youngest in her family of nine; her mother died when Mum was four and some of the family went to live with an aunt. Mum stayed with her father who she adored; he ran a small farm in the village of Madley.
The church where they married is very large, bright and airy. Some of it was built by the Normans soon after their conquest. Mum’s father rang the bells there and Mum sang in the choir.
Mum and Dad said their wedding night was at Wells, Somerset, staying opposite the Cathedral. I was told the bells were rather loud! They were on their way to Sidmouth for their honeymoon where the family spent holidays later. I think the first photos in their photo album are at Sidmouth on their honeymoon. At the time of their wedding Dad was 28 and Mum 26, and Dad was working as a farmer at Cyril Miller’s farm, Wested Farm in Crockenhill, near Swanley."
The dress was given by Kath McNair.