Walking dress

Object/Artifact

-

Saco Museum

Name/Title

Walking dress

Entry/Object ID

2004.13.3

Description

Brown silk faille two-piece walking dress with ivory cotton organdy collar and cuffs. Eighteen glass and metal buttons close the front of the bodice. Skirt with a soft gathered bustle, no train. Like the skirt, the bodice is a combination of hand and machine sewing. The round standing collar is trimmed with a narrow band of cotton organdy. Back and side seams and two pairs of front darts (towards the sides) have been let out. These alterations were probably made in the 20th century when the later cummerbund was added to the skirt. The two-piece sleeves are gathered at the elbow to create a curved shape. The silk fabric of the sleeves ends at the organdy trim; below the trim is a greenish brown cotton fabric. Bottom front of the bodice is slightly pointed. Pleated overskirt with fabric gathered at the back for a very soft bustle. Skirt closes at the back. Hem ends above that of the underskirt. Back of the skirt is gathered; the front has one very wide box pleat flanked by a four knife pleats on each side. Underskirt has a 2 1/2 inch pleated trim that is attached to the bottom, exposed 1 3/4" below the overskirt. Bottom 13" of underskirt is reinforced with a buckram or stiff unbleached linen, with 4" of glazed cotton at the bottom. Has a binding at the bottom which appears to be wool. Single button closure on underskirt. Much later polyester copper fake cummerbund that has been added to the waistline. Because we lack the proper undergarments and the bustle has been altered/ original stitching is missing, it is impossible to know exactly what the garment looked like originally.

Made/Created

Date made

circa 1880

Dimensions

Dimension Notes

13" shoulders sleeves 21" - diameter 10" at elbow - 8" at wrist 19 3/4 in bodice, original skirt length 39 in, 42 in with addition

Material

silk faille

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

Dark colors were quite fashionable in the 1880s, with claret, deep purple, and shades of copper and gold being particularly popular for walking dresses. Although evening and other formal garments remained complicated and covered with elaborate decoration, day and casual dresses tended to be simpler. This ribbed silk walking dress has very little in the way of ornamentation, other than the gauze-like collar and sleeve cuffs and the tiny buttons that close the front bodice. The row of closely spaced buttons became a signature style for the 1880s. Their presence can help date cabinet and tintype photographs of the era. Since dresses like this one were designed for outdoor activities, they usually lacked a train and were accessorized with a matching wrap and a soft hat made of the same material. Everything had to match in color, although the fabrics could be different. The gloves were the only item allowed to form a contrast—and they were usually a shade of tan.

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

According to the donor, this dress may have been owned by Martha Weymouth Lord of Saco. Martha was born in 1878, and given the date of this dress, she could not have been the one who wore it. It may have been her mother, Martha Dyer Weymouth's, dress. She was born in 1835 and would have been about 45 when this dress was in fashion.