Rare Black Victorian Wedding Dress, Re-purposed With Brass Buttons, 1850 to 1890
Victorian black, heavy silk, two piece dress with brass buttons and handmade button holes, cut velvet trim, original bone staves with encased seams and horse hair braid in hem for reinforcement.
In its original form, in the mid 1850s to early 1870s, this was a two piece wedding dress with ruffling and bustle. The original buttons, four of them, are sewn into the inside of the jacket near the collar. In the 1890s, this dress was remade and re-purposed to be a dress for special occasions. The waist was let out, brass buttons were added, raised and cut velvet was used to trim and the neckline was changed. The modifications made were likely for practical and fashionable reasons.
This dress came from a family who once resided in Bardstown, Kentucky during the 1850s to 1860s. It was handed down for generations until it was in the hands of the great great grandchildren. They put the dress up for auction in 1994 with many other family items.
The black silk blouse and linen slip in the images do NOT come with the dress. They were added for the sake of the photos. However, they are available for purchase upon request of the winning bidder. (Blouse is silk and from the 1890s to 1900s. Slip is from the late 1800s to the early 1900s)
The dress does have some rips to the lining of the skirt. Coat and skirt both have little places of missing lining. There are various repairs and augmentations as mentioned before. These are all normal for an item of this nature and age and are to be expected. This is a truly a beautiful and wonderful garment and certainly a rare find.
From Me:
This is a wonderful example of an 1880's Bustle Gown. Look at those ruffles!!!
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