History's Runway: The Lady Cowdray Mantua Gown, 1740-1746

This and all related images from The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the Seventeenth Century, a “mantua” was, ostensibly, a loose gown. As the decades passed, the garment became more stylized and, but the mid Eighteenth Century, the term “mantua” referred to an over-gown or robe which was worn over stays, heavy petticoats and stomachers. The mantua was, by this time, essentially worn in the Royal Court. Examples from the Eighteenth Century, such as the one we see here, show that these over-gowns were often extremely overdone and proportioned almost ridiculously. Still, they were the height of elegance and were truly the most fashionable article a woman could wear in the French and English Royal Courts.

Let’s examine this example of a mantua from the V&A. This would have been worn by a woman of aristocratic birth to show the Royal Family that her own family also possessed maximum wealth and and understanding of the fashionable arts. The opulence of a lady’s mantua was a direct indication of her family’s rank, power and financial standing.

This example contains almost ten pounds of weight from silver thread alone. The silver has been worked into an elaborate “Tree of Life” design. The train is signed “Rec'd of Mdme Leconte by me Magd. Giles.” “Leconte” is a name long associated with Huguenot embroideresses working in London between 1710 and 1746.

The mantua is composed of the over-gown, petticoat and fabric stomacher—all made of silk embroidered with real silver thread. Evidence of colored silk thread beneath the silver indicates that the textile was changed midway through in order to introduce the more aristocratic element of precious metals. Seven breadths of the textile create the wide skirt which, at its widest point is six feet across, filled out by a series of side hoops.

The gown has been altered. In the 1920s, the back seams were repeatedly taken in and let out in order to adapt the mantua for use as a fancy dress costume. Upon acceptance to the V&A, the mantua was relined and the damage from these Twentieth Century alterations was repaired.

Gifts of Grandeur: Painted Silk Velvet Panels from a Reticule, 1820-1830

Silk Velvet Panel
England, 1820-1830
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Painted between 1820 and 1830, these silk velvet panels were intended to be used in the construction of a reticule (also known as “indispensibles”). Ostensibly purses, reticules were used in the early Nineteenth Century by women to carry necessities such as smelling salts and a handkerchief. A lady might often make and decorate her own reticule at home using a store-bought lightweight frame of silver or steal with chain handles.

Amateur artists often painted onto silk velvet pieces which could be incorporated into a variety of projects. The painted velvet, owing to the pile of the fabric, afforded an appealing sense of depth and richness. It was also an interesting visual counterpoint to the preferred method of the Eighteenth Century—painting on silk taffeta.

These panels were surely painted at home by a now unknown lady. Both show a lively scene of flowers and butterflies against a ground of gold silk velvet. The shape suggests that they were meant to be sewn onto a reticule frame, but, it somehow never made it. Perhaps they are preserved because of it.

After a Fashion: The Lion, the Monkey and the Two Asses Handkerchief, 1710-20

This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In Eighteenth Century France, personal items were often adorned with images which brought joy to their users. Among the most popular of these were handkerchiefs like this one with small scenes (vignettes). This handkerchief shows a scene from la Fontaine's fable “The Lion, the Monkey and the Two Asses.” Here, the lion sits on a high-backed chair at the left of the scene, with the monkey seated on the ground before him and the two mules to the right. The ornamental corner elements and the decorative border are rendered in the popular French style of the time.

The handkerchief is painted on dyed cotton chintz and was made between 1710 and 1720 on the Coromandel coast of India for export to France. 

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Martha Edlin Beaded Jewelry Case, 1673

Martha Edlin's Jewelry Case, 1673
The Victoria and Albert Museum

Decorated with beadwork--a fashionable embroidery technique in the Seventeenth Century--in which tiny glass beads were threaded and sewn into a pattern, this jewelry case features a padded central panel which lifts open to reveal a compartment for organizing jewels. It is lined with pink taffeta. On the lid, surrounded by an oval wreath formed by silk-wrapped leaves of parchment, is a cockatrice in a tree, with flowers around, worked in glass beads. Outside the wreath, flowers and a leopard are worked in silks in tent and rococo stitches. On the frame surrounding the lid are birds and flowering plants worked in beads. The corners of the frame rest on four round, hand-turned wooden feet. The underside is wholly lined with marbled paper and the edges and seams are covered with silver braid.

Such a fancy case, especially one with such high-quality glass beads and other materials, could only have been made for a very wealthy household. Furthermore, a cabinet-maker would have been employed to make the structure of the case itself if the estate did not already have a man who was proficient in woodworking.

This case once belonged to one Martha Edlin. Her name and the year (1673) have been embroidered on the case. Clearly, Miss Edlin worked the case herself. Given the value of the case itself, we can see that Martha and her successors handled it with extreme care. For this reason, it remains in near pristine condition over three hundred years later.

Martha Edlin (1660-1725) is a name which has become very familiar to me over the past two years as I’ve studied, in detail collection of the V&A. Several items from Martha’s home are now housed in the museum. Martha worked a series of embroideries during her childhood, including this jewelry case, which were cherished by her descendants and passed through the female line of her family for over three hundred years.

Beyond her obvious skill with embroidery, sadly, we know very little about her life, except for the fact that she was married to a man called Richard Richmond. After Richmond’s death, Martha appears to have been a prosperous widow with a handsome home in Pinner in Greater London. She left the bulk of her estate to her daughters and grandchildren.

Among the other treasures created by Martha Edlin, the V&A owns an embroidered sampler in colored silks which Martha created at the age of eight, and a more complicated piece in white-work and cutwork which she crafted at nine. We have looked at those previously. By 1671, Martha’s eleventh year, she had embroidered the panels of an elaborate casket, and two years later. At thirteen, this beadwork jewelry case.

Curiously, for many years, this case became separated from the other Martha Edlin embroideries (which stayed in her family's possession until their acquisition by the Museum). In the Nineteenth Century, the case was purchased at an auction by an unknown buyer. Then, in 1927, the case was again sent to auction where it was purchased by by Sir Frederick Richmond—an ancestor of Martha’s who donated it to the V&A so that it might, once again, join the other beautiful work created by Miss Edlin. 

Unusual Artifacts: Pyramus and Thisbe Valance, 1560

Pyramus and Thisbe
Panel from a Bed Valance, 1560
French, possibly made for Queen Catherine De Medici
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This piece of satin textile is one of a set of panels that once formed part of the decoration of a bed valance—a kind of pelmet round the top of bed curtains. The image is embroidered in colored silk on a red satin ground and depicts the story of Pyramus and Thisbe. Pyramus, thinking that Thisbe was dead, committed suicide by falling on his own sword. This scene is shown within a frame held by men in stylized Roman military dress.

Other decorative motifs pictured include a laughing mask, birds, dolphins, ox skulls, an altar, a vase and draperies and figures of nudes and monsters in the Grotesque style which had been introduced to France between 1550 and 1575, based on Italian artifacts. Given the style, it is possible that this panel may have been part of a set made for Queen Catherine de Medici (1519–89, daughter of the Italian Lorenzo de Medici, later Queen Consort of France), or for another high-ranking member of the French court. Further evidence comes from the fact that in the Nineteenth Century, this fragment was bound in an album inscribed “RICAMI DEI MEDICI.” (‘embroideries of the Medici’). A gold braid was added in the Nineteenth Century.

Unusual Artifacts: Wedding Favors, 1854

Click image to enlarge.
Wedding Favors
England, c. 1854
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The tradition of handing out wedding favors, especially to those who participated in the wedding party, goes back centuries. The origin of this custom is difficult to trace as it is not unique to any one culture.

Some of the most famous wedding favors are those which were presented at the 1840 marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. “The Times” reported that white favors were given out at the lavish nuptials:

Every lady exhibited a white favour, some of which were admirable specimens of refined taste. They were of all sizes, many of white satin riband, tied up into bows and mixed with layers of rich silver lace. Others merely of riband intermixed with sprigs of orange flower blossom.

While the custom of orange blossoms at a wedding pre-dates Victoria’s wedding considerably and actually arose in Asia, the interest in the blooms was rejuvenated after that Royal wedding. After witnessing the gorgeous orange blossoms at Queen Victoria’s wedding, many brides wished to have similar favors and turned to more permanent imitation blossoms.

Take, for example, this pair of wedding favor froms an 1854 union. The orange blossoms on these favors are made of cloth and feature silvered paper leaves and trimmings of cream silk satin ribbon. These items are associated with the wedding of Elizabeth Wroughton Richards to the Reverend Andrew Nugee on August 8, 1854.

The Home Beautiful: A French Footstool, 1750

Footstool
France, c. 1750
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This lovely little stool was  made in France in the 1750.  

When the Victoria & Albert Museum acquired this stool in 1862, it was painted white and adorned with gilt decoration.  The upholstery had been changed to a silk dress material. 

Of course, the curators knew that the 1862 state of the piece was not its original look.  White and gold decoration was thought at that time to be typical of 18th-century French furniture, however, the curators knew this was a falsehood since, in reality, very little French seating furniture was gilded in the 18th century. 

Upon examination, it was found that underneath the white paint, were  the remains of dark and pale blue paint, which was most probably the original decoration. 

In the 1970s the stool was repainted in these colors, and also reupholstered with its present blue silk cover.

The Victoria & Albert Museum

History's Runway with Miss Oscar: A Silk Evening Dress, 1810

With the dawn of 1810, the fashion for white cotton and muslin evening dresses gave way to brightly-colored, embroidered silks.  Part of this change of fashion was due to John Heathcote's bobbinet machine, patented in 1809, which enabled fine net to be easily produced in wide widths for dresses.  These lengths of material could be hand-embroidered for dramatic effect. These net dresses were worn with under-dresses of plain silk, sometimes white, or, often, in a matching color.

Net Gown
English, 1810
This and all related images courtesy of:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Often the embroidery on these net dresses was done in chenille thread.  As the V&A states:

Chenille (French for caterpillar) is a type of thick thread made by a weaving process. Cotton or silk is woven into a length of cloth which is then cut into very narrow strips, the severed weft threads creating the tufts which give the yarn its velvety texture. The dense colour of chenille thread creates a contrasting effect with the ground fabric.

Fashion icons of the time, such as Empress Josephine, Napoleon's first wife, helped to make machine net, or 'tulle', gowns popular.  Joseph's wardrobe featured many machine-made net dresses embroidered with silver or gold metal thread and spangles which she wore for formal court occasions.

Here, we see such a gown, created in England in 1810, made of hand-stitched red silk machine-made net, with a high waist, low neck and short, slightly gathered sleeves. A  narrow red silk ribbon at the waistline sets off the skirt which is cut straight with additional fullness gathered at the center back.

The bodice band, sleeves and a v-shaped insertion in the bodice front are embroidered with a design of rosebud garlands worked in pink, red and green chenille. This handsome embroidery pattern is repeated at the hem, with a wider trail of roses and rosebuds.

Before the dress was donated, it apparently had a red under-dress which was not brought to the Museum because it was "very perished."  The look of the red under-dress is recreated here.  Typically, the gown is displayed with a white under-dress as it might also have been worn.

After a Fashion: A Silk Pocketbook with Painted Panels, 1750

Pocketbook
French, 1750
This and all related images courtesy of
The Victoria & Albert Museum

I just love this rare, French pocketbook which was made circa 1750. The sumptuously decorated pocket and letter case was made of red, weave-ribbed silk, flat-quilted overall, and embroidered in a chain stitch with colored silks and silver-gilt thread. 

The oval panel of this pocketbook is painted in watercolors, and features similar panels inside. The images, it is suggested by the V&A, likely refer to a Royal marriage.

The outer cover of the pocket book is adorned on one side with an oval panel of cream silk which has been painted in watercolors, depicting two shields. One shield bears a dolphin, while the other depicts a crowned eagle; behind is an altar, and to the left a cupid. 

On the other side, a bouquet of flowers is embroidered with an outer border of trailing flowers and leaves.

The inside boasts one pocket with a similar painted panel. However, on the interior scene, the cupid is replaced by lilies and palm fronds. This pocket has red silk gussets allowing it to fall half open. The other pocket does not have gussets, but has an internal divider. 

The inside is lined with cream silk twill. The book closes with a gilt metal lock with tooled and pierced decoration, backed with green foil. A steel key with it is probably not original.

Unusual Artifacts: A Silk Program Commemorating the New Empire Theatre, 1896

Birmingham, England (printed)
1896 (printed)
James Upton (printer)
The Victoria and Albert Museum

Click image to enlarge.

In previous years, we've looked at other printed silk programs which were made for important events.  Silk and satin programs were made from the eighteenth century well into the twentieth century to commemorate special theatrical productions such as first nights, gala, commemorative and benefit performances.  By the 1920s, this attractive custom had mostly ceased, and by the 1970s, printed fabric programs were mostly produced for gala opera or ballet performances.  These were typically not printed on silk or satin, but, instead on nylon.

Here, we see, a silk program designed to commemorate the "Grand Opening Night" of the New Empire Theatre on Lime Street, Liverpool, on the 19th December 1896, starring Florrie Harmon as Cinderella; Victor Stevens and Fred Emney as Thisbe and Clorinda, Kate Chard as Prince Felix, and Marie Campbell as Dandini.

The rectangular landscape format program, is printed on both sides and folded into three.  It boasts images from Cinderella in blue ink with the title of production and images of Oscar Barrett and H E Moss printed in sepia ink in roundels.  On the reverse, the cast list and performance details are featured. As was often the case, a decorative fringe graces the top and bottom.

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Ephemeral Beauty: Use Corticelli Silk

Click to enlarge.

So many of the trade cards in my ever-growing collection of ephemera are for thread.  Upon a recent visit, my mother was looking at a cross-section of my cards which are displayed on a stand on a table and remarked that most of them were advertising thread, or, as she said, "giant spools of thread."  Before my mother pointed it out, I hadn't really noticed the imbalance of thread-related cards versus others.  Medical quackery as a theme runs a close second.  There are almost as many cards for de-worming your children and strengthening your spleen.  I imagine it's because clothes weren't the toss-away items they are now, many were made in the home, and there was a greater need for and time for sewing.  In fact, it was an art unto itself where, today, unless you're a designer or on Project Runway, sewing is considered more of a chore than anything else.

Here's another thread-related card.  This one doesn't feature terrifyingly large spools of thread around which human children play.  This one boasts the second most popular thread motif, a pretty lady.  After all, the thread's target audience was the lady of the house (and her maid).  Showing an attractively clad woman, obviously the result of using said thread, makes a lot of sense.

This lady in her blue and crimson bonnet is adorned with a flounce of white silk over her floral-patterned gown.  In an ocher-gloved hand, she holds a spray of flowers.  She looks smugly out at us and says, "You can be as fabulous as I am."

Beneath the image, "Use Corticelli Silk."

The reverse reads:

A FULL LINE OF

Unequalled Corticelli Spool Silk,

FOR SALE BY

SIMON LEWY,

Dealer in

Dry Goods, Carpets, Clothing,

SHOES, HATS, ETC.

175 Broad Street,  Eufaula, Ala.

The printer obviously believed in the late Nineteenth Century credo of, "The more fonts the better."

And, yes, somehow it does make me want to use Corticelli Silk.

Click to enlarge.

History's Runway: A Silk and Velvet Sack-Back Gown and Petticoat, 1774-1890

Sack-Back Gown
Made in Scotland, 1774-1775
Altered between 1880 and 1890
The Victoria & Albert Museum

As we know, a sack-back gown, the predominant style of women’s fashions of the Eighteenth Century, is created from a single piece of fabric pleated and stitched at the back of the neck, creating an open front. The style evolved from a sort of loose negligee which was worn privately. By the 1770s, the fashion had become a more formal type of dress meant to be worn in public at important events, the opera, the theatre and at stylish dinner parties.

What sets this sack-back apart is the use of velvet. At the time, these gowns were made of woven fabrics which were printed after the weaving process. Here, the textile of silk has been combined with velvet—a technique unique to France--which created a fabric with vertical bands of ivory and pink silk alternating with stripes of floral chiné velvet. Records with the dress report that the textile cost a shocking 36 shillings a yard. The gown and petticoat are constructed of about 17 yards. Today, the fabric alone would have cost approximately £2,200—over $3400 U.S. 

While the fabric was imported from France, the gown itself was constructed in Scotland. The original garment was made between 1774 and 1775. Alterations were made to the gown between 1880 and 1890 when it was used as a costume for fancy dress parties. The ensemble was, for many years, part of the Castle Howard Costume Collection before being sold by Sotheby’s to the V&A. 

History's Runway: The "Elvis" Dress, 1989

"The Elvis Dress"
Catherine Walker, 1989
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

When I picture Diana, Prince of Wales, it is this gown which she’s wearing. Just one of the many iconic gowns worn by the late Princess, for some reason, this one always sticks in my memory. Known as “The Elvis Dress” (a nickname given to the ensemble by the princess herself because of the similarity of the high white collar of the jacket to those on the jumpsuits worn by Mr. Presley at his most rotund), this dress and matching bolero speak volumes of the stream-lined style favored by the Princess of Wales in the late 1980s.

Well aware of her status as a fashion icon and style-setter, the Princess of Wales was always careful to don only the most flattering and fashionable garments when out for an elegant and formal evening. By the late 1980s, Princess Diana had pushed aside the fuller-cuts, crinolines and flowing chiffons of her earlier days in favor of bolder textures and sleek, tailored gowns. I think this gown is the epitome of that trend. 

The strapless gown of white silk is encrusted with pearls and sequins. It’s given a sense of drama by the tall collar of the matching bolero. It’s the work of Catherine Walker, a favorite
couturière of the Princess of Wales. Diana’s association with Walker began during her pregnancy with Prince William of Wales in 1981. Walker continued to design for the Princess until Diana’s death in 1997.

The princess wore the ensemble to the British Fashion Awards in October 1989, on an official visit to Hong Kong, and, later for an official portrait. The gown had actually been commissioned for the official visit to Hong Kong. Walker envisioned a sheath of pearls for the occasion. Tens of thousands of pearls—long a symbol of the “orient”--were embroidered onto the dress and jacket.

Walker would recall in 2012: “Whenever I saw the Princess in this dress, I could not help but feel that it would not be possible for anyone else ever to wear this dress and bolero. She shone in the dress and the dress shone around her in a shimmering column of glistening pearls.”

It was one of the 79 dresses which the Princess of Wales sold in a charity auction in 1997. The auction, held by Christie’s, raised over three million pounds for AIDS and cancer research. A commemorative doll of the princess shows her in this dress.

History's Runway: A Pair of Ladies Boots, c. 1865

Boots
French, 1865
The Victoria & Albert Museum

These red boots, laced at the back, are made of ribbed silk. They were designed to come up just above the ankle and are set with the then-fashionable “military” style heel. The heel has been covered in silk to match the uppers. They have are trimmed at the top with bobbin lace and ribbons.

London Society ladies of the 1860s and 1870s had a passion for these high-heeled French boots which were important from Parisian show-makers or often copied by English cobblers. According to the V&A, “The French influence was due to the stylish Empress Eugenie who had married the French emperor, Napoleon III, in 1853. She was probably responsible for the introduction of the shorter skirt which led to a greater emphasis on stockings and shoes.” Such boots tended to be rather gaudy by Nineteenth Century standards and were made in a variety of bold, bright colors thanks to the chemical aniline dyes which were introduced in the 1860s. 

Unusual Artifacts: An Embroidered Pin Cushion, 1670-80

The Victoria & Albert Museum

I love little objects like this that tell a story and speak of the individuals who made them.  This embroidered pin cushion has an obverse of white satin embroidered in colored silks in a pretty design of flowers, a double-headed bird (of course) and the initials “ME.” The back is covered in a rich, deep midnight-blue satin while the edges are bound with a plaited cord of blue silk and twinkling silver thread.

This adorable and beautiful little object was among the contents of an embroidered casket used by a young girl called Martha Edlin, to store her small personal treasures. Needless to say, as young ladies of the Seventeenth Century did, she would have embroidered this herself.  Curiously, neither the casket nor the pin cushion appears to have been used.

Through other objects in the Victoria and Albert Museum, we know that the girl in question, Martha Edlin (1660-1725). worked a number of fine embroideries during her childhood.  Thankfully, these were cherished by her descendants and passed down through the female line in her family for over three hundred years. We owe these ladies a debt of gratitude as without their care, we’d not have them to enjoy today.  Other than this, little is known about Martha’s life, with the exception that she married a man called Richard Richmond and appears to have been a prosperous widow, with daughters and many grandchildren.  Later, she is known to have lived in Pinner in Greater London at the time she drew up her will.

Among the other objects which Martha embroidered are a multi-colored sampler which she created at the age of eight, and a more complicated piece in “whitework” and cutwork at nine. By her eleventh birthday in 1671,, she had embroidered the panels of this elaborate casket, and by 1673, she worked an impressive  beadwork jewelry case. 

Painting of the Day: The Charles Conder Train, 1903

Design for the Train of a Woman's Gown
Charles Conder
Watercolor, 1903
The Victoria & Albert Museum 

Charles Conder, made a name for himself in the early Twentieth Century for the elaborate decorations that he would paint on the long trains of evening gowns and ball gowns.  He would use watercolors to adorn the trains—sometimes even while the gown was being worn.

Conder created this watercolor design for a train around 1903.  We can’t be certain about the dress for which this design was created.  We do know that it was finished for one Mrs. Florence Humphrey, an enthusiastic guest of many a fancy dress ball.  At this time, Conder was at the height of his popularity and his work was very much in demand. 

The fashion of this era had moved away from the stiffly corseted dresses of the Nineteenth Century in favor of “The New Reform Dress” which was a “princess style” which hung from the shoulders without a waistline.  Long full sleeves and dramatic trains defined this new style—giving condor many a canvas for his much-desired work. 

The Home Beautiful: Trimming from Houldsworth & Co., 1853

Silk Embroidered Trimming
Made by Houldsworth & Co. for the 1853 Dublin Exhibition
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The section of trimming that we see pictured above would have been used as upholstery edging.  However, the real reason that this band was made was to demonstrate the capabilities of Henry Houldsworth’s embroidery machine.

Henry Houldsworth--a Manchester silk spinner, purchased his first industrial embroidery machine in 1829.  Along with the machine, he purchased the British patent rights from Mulhouse in France, where it had been invented in 1828.

Houldsworth and a fellow manufacturer, Louis Schwabe, worked together to improve the machine.  By 1834, the duo had perfected the machine to their satisfaction.  Schwabe's first successful use of the machine concentrated on embroidery for theatrical costumes, especially men's waistcoats.

After Schwabe's death in 1845, Houldsworth took over the business. From this time it was known as  Houldsworth & Co.  The company would become the leading manufacturer of machine embroidery in Britain, exhibiting their wares at the Great Exhibition of 1851.

This piece of embroidery, made in 1853 for the Dublin International Exhibition, is akin to the example exhibited at the Great Exhibition.  This was created by the famed machine which was operated by up to five girls at a time, working up to forty-two needles to create the complicated patterns and ombré (a shaded gradation of color) which were remarkable identical on both sides.

Unusual Artifacts: Pyramus and Thisbe Valance, 1560

Pyramus and Thisbe
Panel from a Bed Valance, 1560
French, possibly made for Queen Catherine De Medici
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This piece of satin textile is one of a set of panels that once formed part of the decoration of a bed valance—a kind of pelmet round the top of bed curtains. The image is embroidered in colored silk on a red satin ground and depicts the story of Pyramus and Thisbe. Pyramus, thinking that Thisbe was dead, committed suicide by falling on his own sword. This scene is shown within a frame held by men in stylized Roman military dress.

Other decorative motifs pictured include a laughing mask, birds, dolphins, ox skulls, an altar, a vase and draperies and figures of nudes and monsters in the Grotesque style which had been introduced to France between 1550 and 1575, based on Italian artifacts. Given the style, it is possible that this panel may have been part of a set made for Queen Catherine de Medici (1519–89, daughter of the Italian Lorenzo de Medici, later Queen Consort of France), or for another high-ranking member of the French court. Further evidence comes from the fact that in the Nineteenth Century, this fragment was bound in an album inscribed “RICAMI DEI MEDICI.” (‘embroideries of the Medici’). A gold braid was added in the Nineteenth Century.