Thursday, October 3, 2013

Fabulous little Bertha Collar






From the seller:

This auction is for a rare original Lady's tulle Bertha from the Civil War period. Its fabric is an ivory silk tulle trimmed with silk lace, flowers with beaded centers, silk and gold braid and golden wire string. The tulle is gathered and puffed lengthwise onto a tulle base. Wide silk lace trims the bottom and a narrower silk lace trims the top above a row of silk and gold braid. Sprinkled across the tulle are incredible floral couplets with beaded centers. There is no closure, it's all one-piece. The photos show the bertha displayed over two different ball gowns and with one silver brooch which are not included. Neither dress is original to the bertha, it was acquired separately. My apologies for the poor photos at the end. I will replace them with better ones.

Condition is structurally fair to good. It is strong enough to be displayed with a great deal of care. In addition to some holes and breaks, one bunch of flowers is gone.


Measurements are: about 18-20 inches wide, depending how you measure and 9.5 inches deep at center front from the top of the lace to the bottom of the lace.


From Me:

Bertha Collar such as this can be seen as early as the 1830's. The style, however, looks more 1850's/1860's to my eye.

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