Cloak
Date1750-1800
MediumCotton (Warp, Weft, and Supplementary Weft), Linen (Sewing Threads). Fibers identified by microscopic analysis.
DimensionsSelvage Width: 35 inches
Center Back: 24 inches
Center Front: 35 inches
Hood Height: 15 inches
Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund
Object number2018-278
DescriptionA fashionable figured gauze cloak. The cotton textile was woven with a gauze weave and filled with a heavier cotton supplemental weft to make the floral / urn shaped figures. The cloak was constructed with a center back seam using the full width of the fabric. A self-fabric ruffle trims the cloak down the center front and hem. The ruffled edge is scalloped and is finished with a very fine buttonhole stitches. A self-fabric neck band, also finished in buttonhole stitches, connects the body of the cloak to the hood. The interior of the neck band is faced with the gauze to make a casing. An additional ruffle, made from another piece of embroidered cotton, was sewn along the interior neck edge. The hood is finished around the opening in scallops sewn with buttonhole stitches and is gathered at the back. The interior of the cloak has three loops in a row down the front of each side, suggesting a method of fastening across the body.
