Images(2)

Dress

Date1775-1785 (textile); 1825-1828 (dress)

MediumSilk, linen, cotton (identified by eye)

DimensionsOL from shoulder to hem 52 ¾ in.; Bust 30 ¼ in.; Waist 22 3/8 in.

Credit LineGift of The Valentine Museum, Richmond, VA

Object number2023-150

DescriptionDress made of cream silk with alternating brocade stripes. Stripes have floral patterns in pink, green, and red. The bodice has long sleeves. Sleeves are gathered to the shoulder. Piped trim on neckline, at shoulders, armscye, cuff, and center back seams; trim is made of dark green silk sewn around a braided cord. The cuffs extend to a point up the forearm and are lined with buckram. The sleeves fasten at the cuff with three hooks and corresponding eyelets. Bodice is lined with natural colored cotton around the armscye. Bodice is gathered at the center front between the neckline and waistband. Dress fastens down the bodice center back with ties sewn to the cotton lining and hooks/eyes. Waistband is lined with brown linen. The dress has a full length skirt with a panel of trim set about 11 ½ inches above the hem; The hem is weighted with a length of brown cord running through channel.. The hem is weighted with a length of brown cord running through channel.

Construction History:
1. Textile woven ca. 1775-1785.
2. Dress constructed ca. 1825-1828.Label TextThe expense of textiles and cyclical nature of fashion in the 18th and early 19th centuries meant that they were frequently reused. The delicate bands of repeating florals in this textile suggest it was woven between 1775 and 1785. However, the style of the dress, with its raised waistline, full shoulders, and bands of trim at the skirt, dates almost 50 years later.Inscription(s)There is a fabric tag sewn into the center back of the neckline, "V.73.99.2"; this is the previous number assigned by the Valentine Museum.ProvenancePrior to 1973, Mrs. Hunsdon Cary (Mary Miller) (Richmond, VA); 1973 given to the Valentine Museum (Richmond, VA); 2023-present given to Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)