Images(2)

Dress

Date1807-1815

MediumCotton, linen, wool

DimensionsOL 58 in.; Bust 31 1/8 in.; Waist 28 ¼ in.

Credit LineGift of The Valentine Museum, Richmond, VA

Object number2023-167

DescriptionCream cotton dress with short, cap sleeves and a raised waistline. The dress is straight in front and gathers in the back. The dress has a square neckline threaded with ties to gather in the front and back. The dress fastens down the center back with two sets of ties. The dress also fastens at the waist with a fabric tab with five fabric covered buttons and a buttonhole at the end; this secures to a thread covered button at the opposite side of the center back opening. The bodice is partially lined with two kinds of linen. The bodice is pieced in the front and on the right side with brown cotton. The sleeves have a straight front and are gathered at the cuff and shoulder on the back. The cuffs and center front neckline are trimmed with cotton tape embroidered with leaves in two shades of green wool thread. The hem is embroidered with a 3 ½ inch band of leaf, vine, and flower designs in wool thread.
Label TextWhile the fashion for white, neoclassically inspired dresses continued into the early decades of the 19th century, colors were still present in women's clothes. Even white muslin dresses often featured colorful embroidery, like the border of roses and leaves seen here, worked in chain stitch.
ProvenancePrior to 1954, Mrs. A. Carlton McKenney (Helen Avery Norris) (Richmond, VA); 1954 given to the Valentine Museum (Richmond, VA); 2023-present given to Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)