Wedding Dress
Original OwnerOriginally owned by
Myrtie Evelyn Bennett
American
Clothing MakerMade by
Unknown
Date1892
MediumMachine-stitched and hand-stitched wool, cotton, and silk, with brass hooks and eyes, silk/cotton cord braid, mother of pearl button, and wool hem tape
DimensionsBodice (center back length x width across shoulders (including ruffles)): 21 x 19in. (53.3 x 48.3cm)
Skirt (center back length x hem circumference): 40 x 93 1/2in. (101.6 x 237.5cm)
Skirt (center back length x hem circumference): 40 x 93 1/2in. (101.6 x 237.5cm)
ClassificationsCostume
Credit LineGift of Edwin J. Prior
DescriptionWoman's wedding dress, consisting of a bodice (.a) and skirt (.b), made of twill-woven wool. The fabric is striped in shades of gray and tan, with a single, heavy, slubbed blue/orange yarn or dark red boucle yarn between each stripe. The bodice has a standing ruffled collar and center front insert of dark maroon velvet, reaching to the pointed waistline. Ruffles on either side of the center insert gradually widen as they continue over the shoulder; the ruffles continue around the back, forming a shallow V between the shoulders. The ruffles are headed by a braid made of gray silk cord, and the edges are bound with maroon silk. The sleeves are full for the top half of the arm, being gathered into the shoulder and into a seam around the elbow, ending with a ruffle of the wool fabric, trimmed with the gray silk cord braid. The lower half of the sleeve, from elbow to wrist, is made of the maroon silk and is tight. The bodice is fitted with two ten-inch-long darts on either side of the front, while the back is constructed of six pattern pieces to achieve a close fit. The bodice is not boned. It is lined with plain, white cotton. The center front opening fastens with brass hooks and eyes.
The skirt is eased across the front and gathered and then pleated across the back. The tan cotton waistband has been extended with four inches of muslin, and a pleat has been let out to widen the skirt, but there is not a new buttonhole for the closure. (The bodice does not show corresponding alteration.) The bottom of the skirt is decorated with a 1 1/8-inch-wide row of tan silk cord braid and a self-fabric ruffle. The skirt is lined with tan cotton, and the bottom edge is bound with light brown wool hem tape.
The skirt is eased across the front and gathered and then pleated across the back. The tan cotton waistband has been extended with four inches of muslin, and a pleat has been let out to widen the skirt, but there is not a new buttonhole for the closure. (The bodice does not show corresponding alteration.) The bottom of the skirt is decorated with a 1 1/8-inch-wide row of tan silk cord braid and a self-fabric ruffle. The skirt is lined with tan cotton, and the bottom edge is bound with light brown wool hem tape.
Object number1995.85.0a,b
NotesHistorical Notes: According to the donor, this is the wedding dress of Myrtie Evelyn Bennett, who married Willis Covell in a civil ceremony in Brooklyn, Connecticut, on 20 June 1892. At the time, both were residents of Pomfret Landing, Connecticut. Mrs. Covell was a descendant of George Soule of the Mayflower. Both she and her husband were descendants of the earliest settlers of Killingly, Connecticut.On View
Not on view
