1860's day dress

skippy

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Nov 16, 2011
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us
I have to what I believe to be an early 1860's polka dot cotton day dress. It is still in remarkable condition. It shows wear and I like the time period repairs that were made on this dress. It was a two piece at one time. Polished cotton under the dress, it has a small pocket watch on the left side and what I didn't know that these dresses had actually a side pocket. I believe the dots are painted on the cotton and the typical shoulder- down to the arms for this period. I personally loved this dress when I saw it. It will go on a mannequin and be placed in front of my 1850's marble top vanity for display. I thought the ladies might like this one.
 

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Which photo would you say is closest to the actual color?

The mending is interesting.
 
Random items that I noticed after attending a recent weekend workshop and conference examining 19th century fabrics and dresses: The gauging (cartridge pleating) on your dress is excellent. The piping at the waist, however, seems quite a bit thicker than on most Civil War era dresses--at that time a very thin string was used. I'm wondering if the original waist piping was replaced later on? Is the piping on the armscye and collar the same size? Or is this just a camera angle issue?

I see no evidence that this was a two-piece dress. In normal dressmaking technique for the period, the skirt and bodice were each completed and then whip-stitched together. Except for a very few cases in which a ball gown bodice and a dressy day dress bodice shared the same skirt, nearly all dresses of the era were one piece. Very late in the Civil War, the separate blouse and skirt became an item for fashionable young ladies, but they weren't very common. (For any young woman past her early 20's, the separate blouse and skirt for the Civil War era are a modern reenactorism.)

The collar may (or may not) be a later addition. Normally, collars were basted in and changed frequently, usually daily, to protect the neckline of the dress from getting dirty. (The same was true for cuffs and undersleeves.) Nearly all collars had bias binding attached which was basted to the inside of the neckline. I note that some hooks and eyes have been replaced or at least resewn with different color thread, not unusual. Notice the hem braid to keep the bottom edge of the skirt from fraying.

So many mid-19th century dyes faded to brown (pink and purple were the worst), that you really need to look at an interior seam allowance that has not been exposed to light and air to find the original fabric color. One thing I found out at our conference is that my camera did a lousy job reproducing original fabric color, especially under fluorescent lights!

I didn't take the workshop on preserving original garments at our Oregon City Conference because I don't own any originals and probably never will. The only advice I can offer, therefore, is to keep the garment out of direct light, covered up with a cotton sheet when you're not admiring it, while you research thoroughly how to preserve 150-year-old fabric while this dress is still in a good state of preservation! Always handle it with clean cotton gloves, and avoid dragging the fabric against anything, including itself, when you move it.

If there's a museum anywhere in your area that has 19th century clothing, you might consider making an appointment to have the dress looked at by an expert, which I am definitely not!

I'd love to see more details of the back and armscye, should you decide to take more photos!
 
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I was wondering about the collar - I don't really know much about period lace, but it looked different from what I expected, and the white is less browned than I would have guessed.
 
The collar would have been detached, laundered, boiled, bleached, starched and ironed between wearings. I'm not sure about period lace, either! The fact that this collar doesn't appear to have a bias binding attached (which would protect the neckline of the dress) is what made me wonder if it might be a much later addition. A number of the dresses we examined in the workshop had been altered later, some with quite modern fittings (such as snaps or zippers) to use in a fashion show or as a drama costume. The fun ones were two which had been remodeled to wear in a later decade, but the remodeler put the bodice back on backwards! At least that destroys the popular myth that 19th century women were all really good at sewing!
 
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Greetings allie, pic number 2 would be the actual color. The coloar is sewn to the dress and it does have age staning on it that is not quit visible on the pics.
 
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Greetings MaryDee


This is what I found out. The dress I bought is sewn together at the waist. It would have been two separate pieces originally. Both types were in use during the Civil War. Usually, a waistband means two piece and a one piece dress should have no waistband.I don't see a waistband on mine. I don't know to much about dresses, this is my first and I'm actually a male that is expanding my collection into the civilian part of the Civil War. I will make some more pics that you have requested. What do you mean with the armscye so I can take pics of it.
 
What a wonderful dress! Very interesting.
I especially love looking at the interior construction. I wonder if you would be willing to take/post some measurements? Waiste' arm length, skirt length? it always amazes me how small women were then.
 
Yes Djenne, here are some measurements: The bust is 38 inches & the waist measures 26 inches. The front length is 37 inches. If you need anymore please let me know.
 
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