Dress
Date1830-1835
OriginAmerica or England
MediumCotton, silk
DimensionsCenter Front: 50 1/2 in.; Waist: 24 in.; Bust: 36 in.
Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund
Object number2019-91,A
DescriptionAn 1830s gown made from printed cotton. The fabric is a twilled cotton. The print was created by printing a discharge of lime juice with cylinders directly onto the fabric. This was done before the fabric was submerged into the dye bath. The areas where the lime juice or acid was printed, does not allow the ground color to penetrate. Once dyed, the fabric will then go through a series of cylinders that applied the raised mineral dyes of Prussian Blue, Chrome Yellow, and Chrome Orange. The pinks may have been achieved through steam printing. The gown bodice fastens in the back with hooks and eyes and is fully lined in white glazed cotton. All the seams are piped, and the neck edge is bound. The sleeves are extremely full in the "leg of mutton" style. Four ties are in the armseye to attach the sleeve supports. The bottom of the skirt is faced in a brown colored cotton. The gown is stitched very finely throughout, in many places exceeding 30 stitches to the inch. The sleeve supports remain intact with this gown, see 2019-91,B&C.
