Materials: Plum silk faille, deep
purple velveteen, Broderie Anglaise collar trimmed with Val. lace, glazed white
linen jacket lining, 5 stays, 16" white buckram lining in skirt hem, rose
pink wool hem tape and black cotton net lining under the back bustle panels.
Provenance: This dress belonged to
Mary Robinson Henderson Bullard (MHB). She was born in 1821 and died in
1884. In March of 1841 Mary Henderson married William Bullard (b. 1816, d.
1879). They lived in Brooklyn, N.Y. To see a daguerreotype of MHB
and her husband as well as a complete provenance,
please click here.
Condition: Excellent. Fabrics
in near perfect condition, not split or dry. Jacket: the two side seams
have been let out, totaling 2.75"; there are light perspiration stains
under each arm which are more noticeable in the linen lining than on the jacket.
Skirt: in a few places the silk faille ruffles need to be re-tacked to the
skirt, there is evidence of re-stitching the bustle panels to the waistband; on
one of the back panels there are two dime sized dark stains and a few much
smaller ones (the self fabric sash conceals all of these). Wool hem tape
is in poor condition. These are all very minor flaws; overall, this dress
is in exceptionally great condition.
Measurements: Jacket: B, 35";
W, 25"; Sh-Sh, 14.5"; Sh-W, 12"; Slv L, 21". Skirt: W,
29.5; Front Skirt L, 41"; Back Skirt L, 60"; Hem C, 136".
Comments: By 1868 the emergence of
the bustle signaled a dramatic change in fashionable ladies' silhouettes.
This dress is a wonderful early example of this change. The skirt is still
somewhat full all around, yet the emphasis is towards the back. Typical of the
early 1870s is the apron overskirt, shorter in the front and sides, longer in
the back. The many rows of ruffled skirt trim are cut on the bias, piped
with self-covered cord and all hand stitched. Although beautifully made
with expensive fabrics, this dress has a conservative, restrained feeling to it.
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