Late 1800s dress
This is a wool dress I bought at an antique shop in Richmond, Texas.
I hope it was originally from up North, because I think this would be too hot and sticky to wear in Richmond.
The waist on the dress looks droopy, but when you pull the extra fabric up to waist level, the bodice takes on that “pigeon breast” look that was popular about 1900, so that is my guess on its date.
There are rows of twisted trim on the sleeves, shoulder caps, and bodice, and a row of velvet trim around the hem.
There are rows of trim on cuffs, shoulder caps, and bodice.
The lining is a coarse brown cotton.
Detail of the stays
This dress looks homemade to me. There are three different lining fabrics, and the stitches are large and uneven. I imagine the maker as someone who was busy in many areas, but still wanted to appear as fashionable as was possible for her.
Let’s see — it is wool so: warm in winter, flame retardent, keeps its shape. And to get the “pigeon” shape the wearer would be forced into some gawdawful corset that would bend her spine and push out her breasts and butt simultaneously. Arghghgh! Our poor foremothers.
At least they didn’t have to worry about how their legs looked! 🙂
Ahhh forgot about that!