Images(3)

Dress

Date1810-1815

OriginAmerica, Virginia, Richmond

MediumCotton, linen

DimensionsOverall length front: 42 inches, Overall length back: 45 inches, Waist: 28 inches.

Credit LineGift of The Valentine Museum, Richmond, VA

Object number2023-107

DescriptionA white cotton dress with long sleeves, embroidered down center front and around the bottom of the hem. The white work embroidery was completed once the gown was assembled as it goes over the side seams of the dress. The design consists of roses and berries joined with an “S” shaped section of leaves centered over drawnwork lace. The left sleeve is pieced with a courser cotton. A draw string is attached at the side seams and runs across the waist, where it would tie. The neckline also has a casing for a draw string for adjustability. Linen flaps line the back of the bodice.

Construction History:
1) 1810-1815 Initial Construction Phase
2) Post 1815, sleeves show a possible period of remaking. It was completed all by hand and probably done not to long after its completion.Label TextFamily history claimed that Sarah Storrs Coleman grew the cotton, spun the yarn, wove the cloth, and made this dress during the Non-Importation Act of 1806, which forbid the import of many items including linens. When the dress was completed, Coleman embroidered the white flowers down the front and around the hem. The embroidery is further embellished with drawnwork, pulling the fabric threads together to imitate lace.Inscription(s)Under the left arm of the dress is a piece of twill tape marked "Mrs. D. S. Brooke." D.S. Brooke is the sister of the donor.Provenance1810-1815, Sarah Storrs Coleman (Henrico County, VA); passed by descent to Aramina Jefferson Coleman [1799-1877] (Henrico County, VA); passed by descent to Ellen Douglass Woolfolk [1818-1913] (Augusta County, VA); passed by descent to Richard Woolfolk Waldrop [1839-1918] (Norfolk, VA); passed by descent to Eloise Taylor Waldrop [1885-1967]; 1950, given to the Valentine Museum (Richmond, VA); 2023, given to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)