Images(2)

Dress

Date1795-1815

OriginAmerica, Virginia, Norfolk

MediumSilk, linen

DimensionsOL from shoulder to hem, down the back 55 in.; Bust 39 ¾ in.; Waist 37 ¼ in.

Credit LineGift of The Valentine Museum, Richmond, VA

Object number2023-153

DescriptionDark brown silk satin dress with long sleeves, raised waistline, and a slight train. Dress opens partially down the center front and fastens with a set of ties. The front of the waistline is adjustable. The dress has a rounded collar. Vandyke points trim the collar and bodice opening. The sleeves are faced in matching silk. The sleeves and bodice are lined with linen. The front of the bodice lining is only sewn to the dress on the sides, so the front flaps can be adjusted. A pocket slit is cut in either side of the skirt. The skirt is pleated in the back. The dress is constructed with a seam down the center front.
Label TextThis dress, featuring eye-catching van dyking on the collar, has a nearly identical twin. Both descended through the family of Littleton Waller Tazewell (1774-1860), 26th Governor of Virginia, and may have belonged to his wife, Ann Stratton Nivision (1785-1858) or her mother, Sarah Stratton Nivision (1769-1830). Either woman could have sported this dress walking down the streets of Norfolk, where they lived.
InscribedThere is a fabric tag sewn in the neck lining, "V.91.111.10"; this is the previous number assigned by the Valentine Museum. There is a fabric tag sewn in the left shoulder lining with handwritten text, "Dorothy Wal_e_".
ProvenancePrior to 1963, passed down by descent to Jonathan Old (Norfolk, VA); 1963 given to the Chrysler Museum (Norfolk, VA); 1991 given to the Valentine Museum (Richmond, VA); 2023-present given to Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)