Dress
Date made: 1870s-1880s
Maker: unknown maker
Description: Brown dress with dropped waist. Front opening with large brown buttons on top and hooks underneath. Small mandarin/standup collar, narrow tapering sleeves and deep turnback cuffs showing dark brown silk reverse, gathered down front of tight skirt with band of dark brown silk on hem with three rows of tightly pleated frills underneath. Machine sewn.
Tightly shaped bodice lined with brown speckled (microscope patterned) cotton fabric. Hidden pocket on back seam and a thick braided frill under bottom hem to catch dirt and protect dress. Hand sewn front gather. Ties on inside back of skirt to gather up skirt. To be worn with a pad or small bustle.
The dress is very small and was worn by the owner's great-grandmother Christian Hannah Radcliffe (nee Greggor) who was about 4ft 10 inch tall.
(Reference image taken in the 1990s.)
Materials: cotton, silk
Object name: dress
Collection: Costume & Textiles Collection
ID Number: 1991-0084