Dress

Object/Artifact

-

Saco Museum

Name/Title

Dress

Entry/Object ID

1982.1.1

Description

Brown, tan, and beige large-patterned plaid taffeta dress. Bodice is fully lined and closes up the front with decorative metal and glass buttons; only five of the original eleven buttons survive. Decorated with brown and beige silk fringe in two different lengths sewn in a V-shape over the shoulders and down to the waistline, with three additional double horizontal rows of fringe across the front of the bodice. There is a narrow brown cord couched down above the upper edge of the V-shaped fringe. The three-quarter length double-layered open pagoda sleeves are also trimmed with fringe. Full skirt with fairly wide knife pleats all around except for the center back 2" which is cartridge pleated. There is a large cotton lined pocket at the right side of the skirt. Bodice is lined with a lightweight cotton and the sleeves with a light cream silk. There is beige 3" silk facing machine sewn in above the hem. The long seams of the skirt are hand sewn with a spaced backstitch. The vertical gold and brown stripes are a grosgrain weave. The wide horizontal brown stripes are a changeable silk. Originally worn with a set of beige cotton net undersleeves, 1982.1.2.

Made/Created

Date made

1856 - 1860

Dimensions

Length

59 in

Dimension Notes

16" drop shoulders 16" sleeves 27" waist 40" skirt

Material

silk taffeta, silk fringe, brass and glass buttons

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

Fashionable dresses of the late 1850s often had an abundance of surface decoration, especially on the bodice. Wide bretelles—fabric bands tapering from the outer edge of the shoulders in to the center waist front and back—were added to create the illusion of a smaller waist. Bretelles were often decorated with ruffles, lace, flounces, or fringe. At the same time, colors and patterns became more flamboyant. In April 1854, a writer in Godey's Lady's Book commented: Is it to show their entire contempt for the principles of design that our manufacturers introduced last year not only horizontal stripes of conspicuous colors, but checks and plaids of immense size...the prevalence of the fashion at the present time is another evidence of the triumph of fashion over good taste. The trend continued, as the styles of 1856 were notable for garments made of massive squares of two colors three to four inches across or stripes two to three inches wide. This dress certainly shows that these fashions were enjoyed by the female residents of Maine.