Images(2)

Shift

Date1780-1810

MediumWhite linen tabby, silk marking stitches; linen thread.

DimensionsSelvage to selvage width: 31"; Body: 52 wefts x 52 ; OL: 45 7/8"; Sleeve length: 10 5/8"; Sleeves 72 wefts x 52; Stitches per inch range 10-15.

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1983-234

DescriptionWhite linen shift with scoop neck trimmed in 1" woven lace. Ungathered short sleeves and gussets made of finer linen than the body. Body is cut as to gradually widen toward hem by means of triangular gores sewn to the sides. Initials RDP worked in brown silk cross stitch at center front of bodice. No seams at shoulder. Sewn with linen.Label TextWoman's Shift
Europe, possibly Scandinavia, 1780-1810
Linen marked with silk, trimmed with woven lace
1983-234

Many women marked, or stitched, their plain white shifts with their initials to identify them following laundry. They learned marking techniques by working samplers at a young age.Mark(s)" R D P ' at center front.