Gown

Date1795-1810

OriginAmerica (gown) and Asia, India or England (textile)

MediumWhite semi-sheer cotton tabby, embroidered with cotton; linen bodice and sleeve linings.

DimensionsOL: 63"; W (at shoulders): 13"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1985-234

DescriptionWoman's gown of white semi-sheer cotton, embroidered with white chain stitches in all-over scrolling vine pattern with small leaves and berries. Gown has front closure and raised waistline. Bodice front has low rounded neckline with thin drawstring, tying at center front. A second thin drawstring is tied just below the bust, stitched in place under the arms and tying at center front. Fitted sleeves end at elbows. The front skirt, cut separately from the bodice, falls uninterruped from underneath the bust to the hem, with three half-inch tucks running parallel with floor. Bodice back, cut in one with skirt, is cut very narrow, with a series of tucks angling toward the center back from the sleeves, releasing above the waist to create the skirt fullness. Skirt falls in a rounded train. (Note: the sleeves and bodice front are a slightly different textile, with drawn-work fillings in some flowers.)