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.

The Regency Dress

Here is the piece de resistance of Mum's costume hoard - a Regency dress dating from around 1803ish. Strictly speaking, this is before the true Regency period which was 1811-1820, but for me,  1795 - 1820 is the time scale I think of to be the 'Regency'. The dress is made from a nude/beige coloured silk and has long sleeves with a gathered bodice piece over the bust.  Unfortunately, the photo of it hung on the door doesn't do justice to its lovely shape and it is difficult to imagine how it would look on a woman.  Twenty years ago, I actually managed to fit in it, but I tried again last time I visited Mum and I have expanded way too much! The moment of defeat came when the under bodice pieces that tie up over the bust ended up somewhere under my chin! Oh well, at least I fitted in it once.

Here is a close up of the front of the dress, showing the lovely bodice detail.  I wonder whether it was made for a special occasion, or a local assembly dance, or who actually wore it?  Unfortunately, these questions will probably never be answered.

  

This is the back of the dress, showing the high waist and a very pretty ribbon sash.

 A close up of the gathers at the back and the ribbon sash.

A close up of the front of the bodice, showing the gathers.  This bodice piece hooks up at each side and goes over the two tied under bodice pieces.  Once on, the ribbon is pulled which tightens the front of the bodice.

The back of the sleeve, showing the beautiful hand stitching and the interesting way the sleeves have been set in.

 Inside the bodice, again you can see the careful hand stitching of the cotton lining.

This shows a part of the under bodice with the main front folded down.  you can just see a ribbon tie on the right of the photo.
I am really privileged to be able to look at the dress in such detail and I think Mum is going to give it to a museum as it needs conserving for the future.  Perhaps it will be able to provide textile experts with the opportunity to look at the construction of a dress from this time and hopefully, it will be preserved for future generations to enjoy.