Name/Title
Dress and CapeletEntry/Object ID
1972.205.1 A-BDescription
Handmade brown, grey, and black plaid silk empire waist morning dress with gigot, or leg o' mutton, sleeves and matching capelet. The bodice fastens at the front with hooks and eyes and is decorated with seven brown silk thread-covered buttons. The shoulders are decorated with brown buttons and epaulets. The skirt is attached to the bodice with numerous gathers. The capelet has brown silk fringe and a bobbin lace collar.Use
A morning dress like this was worn by an elite woman during morning or daytime activities, such as eating breakfast, writing letters, visiting with friends and relatives, and taking morning walks. The matching capelet suggests this ensemble was intended to be worn outdoors as well as within the comfort of the wearer's home. The style of the sleeves and the inclusion of the matching capelet is consistent with fashion trends of the 1840s.Context
This dress is thought to have belonged to Harriet Flud Hampton (1823–1848), the eldest daughter of Wade Hampton II (1791–1858) and Ann Fitzsimmons (1794–1833). Harriet lived at her family's Millwood Plantation in Columbia and was named after her grandmother on her father's side, Harriet Flud (1752–1794). The name Harriet continued to be used in the Hampton family for several generations.
Although she was born into an affluent, politically powerful family, Harriet, like most other women in the nineteenth century, had little agency during her lifetime and none in shaping her public memory. For an unknown number of years, Harriet and her three sisters were victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by their uncle, James Henry Hammond (1807–1864).
In 1843, twenty-year-old Harriet confided this information to her father, aware of the potential long-term consequences that coming forward with allegations about any man, much less the sitting state governor, would have to her reputation. While rumors circulated, exact details of this abuse and the fallout for both the Hamptons and Hammonds are only known through the private diaries of Hammond himself.
The public campaign mounted by Harriet's father to shame and drive Hammond from Columbia must have impacted his daughters’ reputations. Neither Harriet nor her three sisters ever married despite being advantageous matches for any man of their standing. Still, Harriet’s courage in standing up for her and her sisters reveals a clearer picture of who she was. Harriet, who purportedly had been ill for many years, passed away in 1848 at the young age of twenty-five.Clothing/Dress/Costume Details
Article of Clothing/Dress/Costume
DressClothing Sex
FemaleTextile Details
Fabric
SilkMaterial
Metal, Lace, CottonColor
Red, Green, Gray, BlackArticle of Clothing/Dress/Costume
CapeClothing Sex
FemaleNotes
Capelet.Made/Created
Date made
circa 1840 - 1848Dimensions
Dimension Description
A: BodiceWidth
16-1/2 inDimension Notes
Waist: 35"Dimension Description
B: SkirtWidth
42-1/2 inDimension Description
Overall LengthLength
60 inRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Harriet Hampton
