Images(2)

Dress

Date1805-1810

OriginAmerica, Virginia, Winchester

MediumCotton, ink

DimensionsWaist: 24 inches Center front: 25 1/4

Credit LineGift of The Valentine Museum, Richmond, VA

Object number2022-137

DescriptionExtremely fine cotton child’s dress decorated with inked boarders. The boarders are made with black ink. Lowest boarder is made from ovals with stars in the middle and leaves where the ovals meet. Above the oval boarder is a wide grape vine design with curling vines, leaves, and large clusters of grapes. The grape vine design continues around the entire hem, while the oval design goes up the center back. As typical for most children’s dresses of this period, it opens down the center back and closes with draw string at the waist. The squared neck line also has a casing for a draw string. The sleeves are short and slightly puffed and trimmed with narrow inked floral boarder.
Label TextChildren in the early 19th century continued to wear thin and light cotton dresses that typically opened down the center back. This example was decorated using ink with neoclassical ovals and stars mixed with grape vines. Decorating gowns with ink seemed to be a popular in the early 19th century.
ProvenanceThis dress descended through Rose MacDonald Skaggs’s (1871-1953) family. She was born in raised in Clarke County, Virginia, but her previous generations primarily lived around Winchester. Genealogy suggest if the garment passed directly through her father side, it may have been worn by Millicent S. MacDonald (1801-1865).