1858-1863 PLAID SILK DRESS – SKIRT, DAY & EVENING BODICES & MATCHING FICHU

1858-1863 PLAID SILK DRESS – SKIRT, DAY & EVENING BODICES & MATCHING FICHU

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$750.00

Quantity Available: 1

Item Code: 1307-40

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To Order:
Call 717-334-0347,
Fax 717-334-5016, or E-mail

1858-1863 Plaid silk dress with day and evening bodices, matching fichu, and skirt from the Texas Civil War Museum.

The dress is made from a lightweight plaid silk taffeta in gold, light gray blue, and black. The day bodice has a center front hook-and-eye closure, a round neckline, and a faux three-piece back. The armscyes are dropped. The sleeves are cut with the short upper sleeve slightly gathered into the armscye; the lower full open sleeve is lightly gathered to the bottom of the upper sleeve. Three parallel rows of narrow black velvet ribbon edge the bottom of the upper and lower sleeves. A narrow black lace edging has been added to the neckline after the original construction.

The evening bodice has a straight waistline and a center back hook-and-eye closure. It has a wide, off-the-shoulder neckline finished with very tiny bias piping, dropped armscyes, and short sleeves. The bottom of the sleeves is finished with wide black silk velvet ribbon and a black lace edging. The bottom of the sleeve appears to have been altered after original construction, and the black lace dates from a later decade than the dress. The original baleen stays remain in the front darts and side seams. The bottom of the bottom shows evidence of a waistband or piping that was removed after original construction.

The matching fichu is lined, with the top edge turned over a tiny cord. The bottom edge is finished with a wide black lace edging; the edging on the fichu appears to be original to the garment and is different from the lace on the sleeves. The fichu can be worn with either bodice.
The skirt is constructed with directional pleats in the front facing the center line and graduated triple box pleats in the back. The skirt opens at the left side front and has a pocket in the right-side front seam. The waist band has a 4" repair made sometime after original construction. The skirt and lining is pieced at the top to add length, with the plaid carefully matched. The length of the skirt is adjusted by folding the excess fabric to the wrong side at the top before the skirt was sewn to the bottom of the waistband. The skirt is lined in lightweight brown glazed cotton. Wool braid is folded over the bottom of the skirt. The bottom skirt was turned up and temporarily hemmed with very long basting stitches some time after the original construction.

A 46" length of wide black silk velvet ribbon is included. The ribbon may have been intended for a belt or bows, but has never been used. The main seams on the bodice are sewn with a chain-stitch machine; the skirt and fichu are hand sewn.

Condition: Good to Very Good. Some wear at the neckline and the underarms.

Measurements: Bust 32”, waist = 28". Skirt waist = 28", lengths = 39½" in the front, 42" in the back.  [cas][ph:L]

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