Regency/Empire Era Bodice

From the seller:

A very pretty yound ladies lawn or muslin printed bodice dating to 1805 - 1810. It is for a small lady or a girl.

The material is fine cotton lawn or muslin with a stripe effect. It is printed with flowers and fronds in light cinnamon. It has long sleeves, also lined in cotton. There are two little brass rings at the back, for attaching a skirt, or possibly a belt.

The condition is excellent, and it is a charming example of early 19th century summer fashion.

Measurements: Across shoulders 13". Bust about 13" across.

It is lined in cotton and has front ties.

From Me:

There are several examples of this style of bodice:

• Turkey Red (?) Print
• A dark print - notice it has the same shape of the sleeves and the "diamond" in the back
• Bright coral pink
• Natural and brick red print
• Colorful print - again, notice the sleeves

Looking at the extant bodice here, I was confused at first. I think what is going on is that this worn much later as part of a costume - which is why we see the hooks and eyes on the outside of the bodice. Those were used to hold up a Victorian or Edwardian era skirt much, much later.

The sleeves appear to have this slight flare at the cuffs with a bulging elbow that then goes back to a normal looking sleeve.  I've included a couple of examples from Museums but it appears to be mostly a 1795-1805 thing.   Not the best range, but, given all the different dates, I'm going with around 1805 for this one.

1810's Short Sleeved Spencer Worn Later as Fancy Dress

From the seller:

This vest has a stamp that says:

200
BROOKLYN'S
SS & P or R CO
TRADEMARK - FAIR AND SQUARE
ODORLESS
LIGHTWEIGHT
4 K

20 inches armpit to armpit.

16 inches top seam to bottom.

Vintage used condition.

Has slits on front velvet

Underarm seams need stitching.

Bottom seam is worn out.

Descriptio:

This listing is for a stunning woman's vest from a traditional folk costume. Very well made using high-quality materials and braid decoration with tassels. It is coming institched under the armpit.

Some of the velvet is ripped and shoulder metallic braided trim is lose. The braiding on the rest of the vest is well stitched and in good, sturdy condition.

The stitching around the neck and on some of the bottom of the vest is worn and fringed.

Please see all pictures as they are part of description. I am not sure of true origin so item is no longer listed as antique or museum quality.

Stunning piece!


From Me:

If you look closely at the photos, the stamp is on the underarm protectors. The protectors are frequently in older garments because the garment was reused later as a fancy dress or a costume for some ball/play/ect. I'm pretty sure that's all we are seeing here. The spencer itself is hand sewn - notice the whip stitch along the neckline. The trim looks to be real metal and the typical ball fringe that was popular in the 1810's. The cut is also consistent with other 1810's garments.


In other news: Would the spammers please stop spamming? I'm hosting this site on a google web server so it's not like the DDoS you've been trying to do for the past week will work - particularly when you are only trying 140 hits in a second. Seriously, just go away and stop messing with my stats! /grumble

Yeah, the spammers have been trying to pull together in force and it's been annoying to watch. Of course, they can't really do much with a DDoS against a google server so...eh. It's just messing with the stats which are fun to watch at work.

Another Regency Bodice Redone in the Victorian or Edwardian Era

From the seller:

This auction is for an original lady's ball gown bodice from the Empire period. It is made of brown silk taffeta. It is trimmed with fine ivory colored silk ribbon at the sleeves and neckline. It is lined with off-white cotton. The back is very narrow and the front crosses over and is secured, presumably by sewing it back in the day. Here, I have pinned it closed. There would have been a separate decorative front which would have covered the lining. The remains of the open-robe style skirt are still present at the high waist. Internally, you can see there was a set of ties to help secure the dress to the figure like a petersham did in the Victorian period. On the outside, you can see the beautiful silk cord and tassels are still present. Originally purchased from England.

Condition: No significant damage. The skirt was obviously cut away.

Measurements are: The bust measures 34 inches, The high waist measures 27 inches. 8.5 inches across the back.

From Me:

That waist tie again - so very Victorian/Edwardian. Also, the trim isn't period for the 1800's - but it is for the entire second half of the 19th century going well into the 20th century. The tassle rope was also added much later.

This was an apron front dress at some point in it's life.

1802 Fashion Plate

Regency Era Bodice Redone in the Victorian Era

From the seller:

This auction is for an original lady's ball gown bodice from the Empire period. It is made of black China silk. It is trimmed with fine black cotton net ruching and silk covered wooden buttons. It is lined with brown cotton. The back is very narrow and the front crosses over and is secured, presumably by sewing it back in the day. Here, I have pinned it closed. There is a separate decorative front which covers the lining. The remains of the open-robe style skirt are still present at the high waist. There's a good bit of it at the back, so you can really see how it was pleated. Internally, you can see there is a set of ties to help secure the dress to the figure like a petersham did in the Victorian period. On the outside, you can see the beautiful silk cord is still mostly present. Originally purchased from England.

Condition: The skirt was obviously cut away, There are tears to the silk, the tassels are missing from the cords. the underarms have holes. Please see photos. The front piece has been stabilized with a bit of grosgrain ribbon and a snap. I have left them in place, as they aid in display.

Measurements are: The bust measures 34 inches, The high waist measures 30 inches. 6 inches across the back.


From Me:

It's the waist ties on the inside that give away the Victorian (maybe Edwardian?) destruction of this piece. I'm pretty sure they added the trims as well. Also, notice the tape along the inside front of the bodice with the snap? Yeah, snaps weren't invented until 1885.

So here's what I think it really looked like - it was a dress. The skirt was cut off at some point - notice that the back flap is just pinked so it was probably cut off when this was "remade". There wasn't any trim. The front flap may have actually been the "apron front" to the dress and just stitched to one side during the Victorian era.

It's a cute piece but there have been a lot of additions that don't make it great for study unless you know the eras really well.

1820's Men's Waistcoat

From the seller:

Stripe velvet cut to copper silk waist coat dating to the first quarter 19thc. Slash pockets each side with partial high collar, lace up back, lacings are not original. Missing all buttons with wear to the velvet at the bottom front open seam under one arm.

Chest measures 34", waist 30", length 22."

From Me:

1821 Fashion Plate

It's the collar that gives away the dating as well as the horizontal stripes.