Dress
Original OwnerPossibly originally owned by
Lucy Mather Lee
(American, 1785 - 1837)
Clothing MakerMade by
Unknown
Dateabout 1825
MediumHand-stitched cotton, with modern metal hooks and eyes
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (length x width across shoulders): 52 1/4 x 15 1/2in. (132.7 x 39.4cm)
Hem (circumference): 88in. (223.5cm)
Hem (circumference): 88in. (223.5cm)
ClassificationsCostume
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Seth P. Holcombe and Mrs. Gilbert A. Wicke
DescriptionWoman's day dress of white, plain-woven cotton fabric. The dress is styled with a raised waistline (4 1/4 inches in length at the side, below the armhole seam), wide neckline, long sleeves puffed at the shoulder, and a flounced skirt. The bodice is decorated with two bands of whitework embroidery with the flower petals filled with net; each band is bordered by self-piping. The neckline edge is finished with a double row of piping. The armscyes are piped. The sleeves are gathered at the top of the shoulder and end in a straight wrist decorated with five rows of pintucking and a 1 1/4-inch wide edging of whitework embroidery in a vine pattern. The bodice front is fitted with two V-shaped double darts. The shoulderline is low in back; the seam is inserted with piping. The curved side back seams are also piped. The dress opens at the center back with a drawsting at the waist and a hook and eye (which are modern replacements) at the neckline. The bodice is lined in the side panels only, with the same cotton as the rest of the dress.
The skirt is constructed of two panels: the back panel is rectangular and the front panel is cut with the sides on a slight diagonal. The skirt is gathered at the center back waistline for about 8 1/2 inches across (from seam to seam), and it is smooth across the front and over the hips. The bottom of the skirt is decorated with three flounces, each headed by a strip of white openwork embroidery in floral patterns and self-piping. The edges of the flounces are also worked with white openwork embroidery, as is the hem edge of the skirt, which extends only slightly beyond the bottom ruffle. The width of the flounce decoration at the bottom of the skirt is about 14 inches.
The skirt is constructed of two panels: the back panel is rectangular and the front panel is cut with the sides on a slight diagonal. The skirt is gathered at the center back waistline for about 8 1/2 inches across (from seam to seam), and it is smooth across the front and over the hips. The bottom of the skirt is decorated with three flounces, each headed by a strip of white openwork embroidery in floral patterns and self-piping. The edges of the flounces are also worked with white openwork embroidery, as is the hem edge of the skirt, which extends only slightly beyond the bottom ruffle. The width of the flounce decoration at the bottom of the skirt is about 14 inches.
Object number1981.26.10
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