Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
By 1910, skirts were becoming slimmer and somewhat shorter, and waistlines were slightly higher, two trends which accelerated over the next two decades. This dress combines elements of the newest “modern” style with the decorative aesthetic of the last century. The asymmetrical treatment of the collar and the draping of the skirt show the impact of Japanese art and design on early 20th-century fashions, while the tone-on-tone cord work is a carryover from the late Victorian period. During most of the 19th century, cord work was a time-consuming process requiring many hours of hand stitching, but by 1910 the widespread use of the sewing machine made it an easy decorative technique to accomplish. This dress was owned by Jennie Wardwell Sands of Saco.Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
By 1910 skirts were becoming slimmer and shorter, and this dress worn by Jennie Wardell Sands of Saco, wife of newspaper publisher George L. Sands, combines the cut of the new style with the decorative aesthetic of the previous century. The tone-on-tone soutache braid work is a carryover of a Victorian embellishment once so popular that dress fabrics were printed with simulations of it. However by this time what had once been a time-consuming process of hand-stitching was now a matter for the sewing machine to accomplish.