Remade 1850's dress in the 1860's

From the seller:

Wonderful antique mid 1800's pinstripe silk ladies hook skirt dress. This pre/early Civil War dress has the name

" Mrs. Will Henry " with a date which either reads

" 1852 or 1862 " It is very light.

In the distant photos it appears that there is alot of staining....this is more due to my flash and the busy stripe pattern. As you can see by the close up fabric photos it does not have overall staining. There is some hemline blueish discoloration and some age yellowing around the neckline. Fully lined in brown polished cotton. There is an ivories silk waistband which there again has a much clearer name provenance label " Mrs. W. Henry" Very early hook and eye up the front. Hoop skirt . Typical piping for this mid century period. Wonderful pagoda sleeves with spectacular hand wrapped fine 1.5" wide silk & handmade lace corded trim....this is gorgeous! The dress is sold as-is because the pinstripe outer silk does have tears and a few repairs. There is underarm staining. This is a display piece or restoration project...still much nicer in person.

Bust: 34 inches

Waist: 28 inches

Underarm to lower hemline: 48 inches


From Me:

1852 or 1862? The answer is...both!



The lady in the daguerreotype above had her picture taken in 1852. Notice the fan front? Very popular in the 1840's and 1850's.

As I've said before, remaking old gowns into the latest styles in the 1860's was a thing. Based on some of the first person accounts, it was amazing what some of these ladies pulled off. The waistline on this dress is clearly changed in the front to get rid of the point. The sleeves look like they were remade at some point too. So this is a dress that was worn from the 1850's well into the 1860's.