Thursday, June 25, 2015

Mid 1860's Black Dress







From the seller:

A classic three piece 1860’s black silk mourning dress that comes from the Samuel Colt estate. Mr. Colt was the founder of Colt’s Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing CO. He was married to Elizabeth Hart Jarvis Colt and this might be one of her dresses. The bodice and skirt are trimmed with wide bands of black velvet. The lace is decorated with black cotton braiding. The dress comes with a separate black velvet belt. The belt is trimmed with braiding and silk fringe. The bodice is lined with white silk and has a front button closure. The skirt is unlined except for a wide band of cotton at the edge of the hemline. The dress is in good condition. There is a small area of underarm discoloration and a small split in the buttonhole at the waist. The waist on the skirt has been altered and an elastic waistband has been partly added. There is some fraying near the waist. (See Photo.) There is some loose trim on one arm that will need minor re-stitching and a loose seam on one of the sleeves. A fetching display dress. Bust 34 Waist 26 Skirt length 40 Width at hemline 120.

From Me:

It looks to be from second mourning rather than one of the earlier stages. Probably about 1865/1866. And, of course there is a lot of wear at the waistline is somebody put a piece of elastic there. Messing with 150 year old material will result in that material shredding. This is called normal aging. /facepalm

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