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Front of shroud.
Shroud and Cap
Front of shroud.

Shroud and Cap

Dateabout 1830-1850
MediumHand-stitched glazed cotton
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (overall length x width at shoulders): 58 1/2 x 30in. (148.6 x 76.2cm)
ClassificationsCostume
Credit LineConnecticut Museum of Culture and History collection
DescriptionShroud: Hand-stitched, brown glazed cotton "cambric," with a drawstring neck and drawstring wrist openings. It was hastily made; stitching is coarse and edges are left raw. The neckline, wrist openings, and hem are cut (pinked) in a zig-zag or "Van Dyke" edge. This edge is turned to the outside of the drawstring casings to form a ruffle around the neckline and wrists. The shroud fabric is of the sort typically used as a lining for dresses in the second and third quarters of the nineteenth century, helping to date this garment.

Cap: Made of the same glazed brown cotton as the shroud. It was cut in a double-hump ("m") shape from selvage to selvage, folded in half, and seamed along the rounded top edge. It is gathered at the back of the neck and at the top of the front (face) edge. The front edges are selvage, the bottom edge is raw. There is no method of tying or fastening.

Object number1985.165.0a,b
Subject Terms
    On View
    Not on view
    Dress
    Mary Ann Patten
    about 1893
    Dress
    Elizabeth Gay Sisson
    about 1887
    Dress
    Eltruda Hale
    1815-1820, with later alteration
    Dress
    Mary Elizabeth Carter
    about 1883
    Front of dress without the matching cape.
    Lyle N. Roapelye
    about 1885
    Dress
    Unknown
    1865-1870, altered from an earlier style
    Dress
    Clara Eglantine Comstock
    about 1888
    Infant's Pinafore
    Edwin H. Tomlinson
    1844
    Wedding Dress
    Unknown
    5 June 1862
    Dress
    Frances Eliza Smith
    about 1888
    Infant's Dress
    Brainard family
    about 1865
    Dress
    Mrs. Williams
    about 1876