Dress

Object Name:

Dress

Object ID:

1994.057.13 a-b

Place of Origin:

Hebron NH

Date:

1874-1880

Description:

Dress, two piece. Cream-colored linen with lace trim. Both pieces heavily stained. Lace scalloped edges with picot, "wheat ear" design. (a) Bodice is long with a square yolk trimmed in lace, four button holes with tan buttons (1 missing), remainder of front hangs open. Piece of pink silk, 4 inches wide, hand sewn to left side of opening, extending part way down front. Front pieces longest toward center. Split up the sides. Back longer than front, sides rounded to point in center back, split half-way up. Top half of back more tightly fitted than bottom. Extra fullness from bottom gathered on either side of center split. Lace trim down side splits, along bottom edges front and back, also up back split. Dolman sleeves, extra flap of material around elbow area also longer on outside and comes to a point, both layers of sleeve trimmed in lace. Machine and hand stitched. (b)Skirt ties closed on left side of waist, pocket on right. Cut narrower in front, extra fullness in back gathered in pleats at waistband. Also longer in back leaving a small train. Five flounces trimmed in lace. Machine stitched with hand stitched alterations at waistband (let out) and repair on top flounce.

a--Bodice
b--Skirt

Material:

Textile
Linen
Silk

Dimensions:

L-37 inches

Provenance:

All of the clothing in this accession (1994.57.1-.16) comes from the donor's family's farm in Hebron, NH. She believes that this material was worn by her grandmother and her grand aunts. Her grandmother was Elizabeth Graves Walker Keyes (1860-1943). The clothing came out of an attic with no light at the Hebron farm.

Credit Line:

Gift of Eva Geraghty

People:

Keyes, Elizabeth G. (1860-1943)