Dress
Original OwnerOriginally owned by
Marie L. Brown
(1848 - 1874)
Clothing MakerMade by
Unknown
Date1870
MediumHand-stitched and machine-stitched wool/silk, silk velvet, and cotton, with silk fringe, wool tape, brass hooks and eyes, unidentified boning (probably metal), and velvet-covered buttons (probably wood)
DimensionsBodice (back length including fringe x width across shoulders): 19 1/2 x 16 1/2in. (49.5 x 41.9cm)
Bodice (front of bodice, including fringe): 15 1/2in. (39.4cm)
Bodice (front of bodice, excluding fringe): 14in. (35.6cm)
Skirt (length): 44in. (111.8cm)
Hem (circumference): 122in. (309.9cm)
ClassificationsCostume
Credit LineGift of Phyllis Kihn
Object number1980.38.4a-d
DescriptionWoman's brown/gray wool/silk faille suit, consisting of a bodice (.a), skirt (.b), overskirt (.c), and jacket (.d). The bodice has a low, square neckline, trimmed with two rows of velvet in a matching color. It closes at center front with hooks and eyes. Velvet-covered non-functioning buttons decorate the proper left edge. Along the bottom of the bodice is a narrow peplum, pointed at center back and trimmed with brown silk fringe. The coat sleeves are trimmed with two bands of velvet at the wrist openings. The bodice is fitted with two 4 1/2-inch-long darts on either side of the center front; the darts are boned. Brown cotton sateen lines the bodice.
The jacket (.b) has a high, round neckline finished with piping. A collar effect is created by separate bands which are attached at the back of the neck and fall over the shoulders to the front; the outer edge is decorated with a band of velvet, and the bottom ends are trimmed with silk fringe. A velvet bow with long ends is mounted at the center back of the neckline. The jacket is unfitted in the front and flares below the hips. It is slit for six inches up each seam, and the resulting U-shaped panels are trimmed with bands of velvet. The bottom edges are trimmed with silk fringe. The sleeves are wide, with V-shaped openings created by opening the seam on the back of the arm. These openings are also trimmed with a band of velvet and silk fringe. The jacket is lined with light olive brown/dark brown chambray wool.
The skirt (.c) is flat in front and pleated in back into a wide muslin waist yoke (not original.) It is trimmed with a double row of velvet (one narrow, one wide) about 10 inches from the bottom edge. Below this is a flounce of the skirt fabric cut on the bias and stitched under the velvet band with occasional box pleats so that it flares slightly. The bottom edge of the flounce is bound with self-fabric. The skirt, which extends under the flounce, is bound with wool tape along the edge. The skirt is unlined except for about 9 1/2 inches around the bottom with brown twill-woven cotton. There in an in-seam pocket on the right side.
The overskirt (.d) is knife-pleated into a narrow waistband of fabric matching the lining of the jacket. Its length graduates from about 14 1/2 in the front to about 20 inches in the back (not including fringe). It is trimmed with a narrow band of velvet and edged with light brown silk fringe.
NotesHistorical Notes: This dress was probably Marie L. Brown's "going away" outfit after she married Edwin Howell Butler of Meriden, Connecticut on 26 October 1870.The jacket (.b) has a high, round neckline finished with piping. A collar effect is created by separate bands which are attached at the back of the neck and fall over the shoulders to the front; the outer edge is decorated with a band of velvet, and the bottom ends are trimmed with silk fringe. A velvet bow with long ends is mounted at the center back of the neckline. The jacket is unfitted in the front and flares below the hips. It is slit for six inches up each seam, and the resulting U-shaped panels are trimmed with bands of velvet. The bottom edges are trimmed with silk fringe. The sleeves are wide, with V-shaped openings created by opening the seam on the back of the arm. These openings are also trimmed with a band of velvet and silk fringe. The jacket is lined with light olive brown/dark brown chambray wool.
The skirt (.c) is flat in front and pleated in back into a wide muslin waist yoke (not original.) It is trimmed with a double row of velvet (one narrow, one wide) about 10 inches from the bottom edge. Below this is a flounce of the skirt fabric cut on the bias and stitched under the velvet band with occasional box pleats so that it flares slightly. The bottom edge of the flounce is bound with self-fabric. The skirt, which extends under the flounce, is bound with wool tape along the edge. The skirt is unlined except for about 9 1/2 inches around the bottom with brown twill-woven cotton. There in an in-seam pocket on the right side.
The overskirt (.d) is knife-pleated into a narrow waistband of fabric matching the lining of the jacket. Its length graduates from about 14 1/2 in the front to about 20 inches in the back (not including fringe). It is trimmed with a narrow band of velvet and edged with light brown silk fringe.
Status
Not on view
Object/Object
