Historical Costume - the final dress

 As we visited Mum and Dad yesterday (to support their village fete - more of that another time), I had the opportunity to photograph the last costume from Mum's hoard.  Above is the bodice front with lots of lace at the neckline and around the sleeves.  It is made from a rather gorgeous brocade with flowers on it and really must have looked quite spectacular. We are really lucky that it has been kept out of the light as the colours are still bright and beautiful.
The photos don't give any idea of how small the person who wore it was - it would only fit a small child these days.  Probably a size 6 or 8 at the most.  Of course, women were smaller in the past, and there would have been a corset under the dress to cinch the waist in even more, and a bustle.

The back of the bodice with red ribbons at the shoulders.

 A close up of the lace edging and material.

 Another view of the bodice, closed at the front showing the square neckline.

 The little bustle top which went round the waist and sat on the bustle.

 The back of the skirt which would have had another skirt underneath as it is cut away.  We don't have the original underskirt.

 The front of the skirt, which has a line of red bows down the centre and is short at the front, going down at the sides. Some stiffener has been used on the edge of the skirt.

 Chris held the skirt up to show the front.

 The maker's label.  As luck would have it, we did some research using trade directories of the day and census information and managed to find some information about 'Bevern'. 

1881 Census - Isabella Bevern

Born: 1836

Place of Birth: Farrington, Lancashire

Age: 45

Occupation: Dressmaker employing about 10 hands

Marital Status: Unmarried

Address: 33 Sackville Street

Also at above address on census day:

Charles Bevern

Age: 51

(from www.familysearch.org)

Business Directory of London 1884

Bevern, Isabella

Court Milliner

33 Sackville Street

Westminster

However, she was not in the Post Offfice Directory of 1895 as either milliner or dressmaker and in the same directory, 33 Sackville Street has other occupants.  In 1895, 32 Sackville Street was described as "Milliners and Dressmakers Provident and Benevolent Institution".  I wonder what happened to her and where she went. She may have retired and moved back to Lancashire, or moved somewhere else in London.

So after all this, it is probably time to show you what the dress might have looked like around the 1870s, which is when we think it was made - just looking at it without a body inside requires a good deal of imagination!

 Teresa Thompson made this doll as well, and scanned in the material which she then printed onto the cotton that she used to make up the costume.  You can see the front of the skirt much more clearly, and how it showed the underskirt.

 In the side view, you can see the bustle top.

The bustle top can be seen here too and the red bows on the shoulders, so that the back of the dress was as impressive as the front.

I wonder what occasion the dress was made for and why Isabella Bevern's establishment was chosen for the commission?  It would be fascinating to know.