Striped 1850's Dress

From the seller:

Lustrous cinnamon brown ribbon weave stripe silk ballgown, with matching pelerine, dating to the 1860s. Fetching off the shoulder neckline, prettily trimmed in fringe on pagoda sleeves, with deep v front at piped waist, directional box pleats at waist. Stays at the lace up back, both bodice and skirt lined in cotton, with wool tape floor brush at hem. Matching pelerine trimmed in the fringe and lined. Hand sewn found in New Hampshire. In very good overall condition with some scattered small breaks at hem, tendrils of water marks here and there , slight underarm marks, missing lacings. Chest approx. 32-34", waist 22-24" length from shoulders 51".

From Me:

1857 Fashion Plate

The shoulders of the dress should be just on the shoulders of the mannequin - you can see the creases in the underarm because the dress isn't fitted correctly since the mannequin can't move like a human body can. I love the piecing on this - it's very well done but there is a lot of it if you look at the photos. It's very much mid-1850's in style.

Late Victorian Breast Improver

From the seller:A very unique Victorian antique bust enhancer. It is made of cotton and filled with padding. It is all hand stitched. It is in very good condition. There is one tiny age spot and one pea size age spot. Width 18 Length from point to point 11 ½ inches.

From Me:

In the days before plastic surgery, ladies did a much safer thing and just stuffed their bras and/or corsets.

There is a similar extant ones over at Abiti Antichi dated to the 1890's.

Edwardian Apron

From the seller:

Fantastic antique primitive pinafore/apron. Measures 42" long. Waist is 38", which includes the ties. Has age stains. Pocket on the right hip with coordinating material. Pretty cotton material in dark brown and cream. Handmade. This is a great primitive prairie piece of clothing.

From Me:

1904 Ad for Aprons

There are a few details that need to be pointed out. In one of the photos, you can see the front lower half of the apron is gathered - but only in the front. This is consistent with the Edwardian era. The two fabrics used both appear to be cotton prints. I love the pocket - very useful! As in the ad, the apron would have been fitted around the wearer and not just the front. Anyone that has tried to clean something very dusty will know why.

Gretel from Hansel and Gretel does 1860's Dress

From the seller:

A unique 1860’s mauve and black pin stripe changeable silk matching skirt, cape and separate hood that has recently been de-accessioned from the Rochester Historical Society Museum collection. The ensemble also comes with a dark blue velvet waist cincher. The blouse is not included and is for display purposes only. This type of ensemble would have been worn with a Garibaldi styled blouse. The fabric has a changeable quality depending on the light reflection. There is no discoloration. The cape has a dark mauve cotton tie closure with tassels. The hood is lined with white silk and has a cotton tie closure. The skirt and cape are lined with cotton. The ensemble is in very good and sturdy condition. There are no splits or holes in the fabric. The cape has one dime size age spots and a couple of other tiny age spots. There are a few light spots on the front of the skirt that are barely noticeable. Skirt waist 24 Length 38

From Me:

This would have been much more purple back in the day - it's faded considerably over the years. The velvet corsage may or may not have been original. Also, you'd never wear a Garibaldi styled blouse with a corsage - you'd wear it with a waist or what was called a spencer at the time. (Click on the links for longer explanations of the terms. These are constantly confused terms even in re-enactor circles._

My guess, based on the shape of the skirt, is this is post American Civil War - about 1866.

Cute 1860's Beaded Purse

From the seller:

A very pretty 1860’s beige velvet and beaded purse that has been de-accessioned from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The purse is adorned with tiny silver bugle beads on both the front and back. The edge is trimmed with loop bugle beads. The top has a chain drawstring closure. The purse is lined with white satin. It is in very good and sturdy condition. There is a little bit of light soiling on the velvet but nothing major. The color difference is from the camera flash. Length 7 inches Width 6 inches.

From Me:

Found this one! It's silk velvet and from 1863 according to the museum.

Victorian Short Cape in Turquoise with Paisley Design

From the seller:

This cloak was made for an artist named Mary Mason, to be worn by her on the occasion of the exhibition of some of her paintings at the Royal Academy. I have not been able to find out what year this occurred, but as she was born in 1842, it was probably in the 1870s to 90s. Mary Mason later moved to Canada and died in 1924. Sometime before that date she gave this cloak and several paintings to my grandmother whom she knew though a local artistic society. This garment has been stored in our family for almost a century, but we have no reason to retain it and feel it should be in the hands of someone who can appreciate and conserve it. It is in very good condition for it's age and must have been worn comparatively little. There are a few small areas of damage which are included in the photos.

There are no labels or other marks that I can find anywhere. I believe the main body is silk; it is very finely woven. The lining is a very delicate satiny material, probably also silk. The whole garment and in particular the lining is very finely hand sewn; so fine it can only be seen properly with a magnifying glass.

There is a herring bone twist silver gilt bullion in a fern-like pattern edging the body of the cloak and hood. This is not pure gold, but is good quality as it has not tarnished noticeably and has a distinctly weighty feel when lifting the edge of the garment. The overall weight of the cloak is about .875Kg and considering how fine and light the cloths are, most of that weight must be the gilt bullion braid. I mention this in case anyone has ideas of buying this to remove what they think is solid gold braid: it's not!

We have further information on Miss Mason, including a few of her paintings which will be sold in due course. She died unmarried and had no relations in Canada except a niece who died unmarried in 1961. The family appears to be extinct, at least in Canada.

Her father was Henry Hewett Mason and her mother Lydia A. Dubois. The family home was "Clarendon House", 23 Kew Gardens Rd., Putney, London SW15.

Henry Hewett Mason was probably a solicitor and a man of some means as he was chairman of the trustees of Kew Bridge across the Thames, until it was expropriated by an Act of Parliament in the 1860s, for which £57,300 in compensation was paid.

Mary Mason's siblings were:

Charles Dubois Mason (1845-1929), Robert W. Mason (1848-1921), Henry Eutimio Mason (1852-1927), George Henry Mason (1854-1946) and Hugh Mason (1856-1921) Of the five brothers only Charles and Robert married.

An interesting connection is Mary Mason's brother, Charles Dubois Mason, who married in 1870 W. Miranda Watts, daughter of John King Watts and sister of Theodore Watts, the famous critic and poet, who was the closest friend of the poet Algernon Charles Swinburne. Charles Mason was a solicitor, as was Theodore Watts, in addition to his literary pursuits.

After his "rescue" by Theodore Watts (who changed his name in 1897 to "Watts-Dunton"), Swinburne lived with Charles and Miranda Mason (nee Watts) in their home in Putney, before moving to "The Pines", Putney, the home of Theodore Watts, where he lived for over thirty years until his death in 1909.

One of the paintings by Mary Mason is titled "Bonchurch Pond", and it was at Bonchurch, Isle of Wight that Swinburne was buried.

Charles and Miranda Mason also lived at "The Pines" by the mid 1870s and had a son Herbert W. Mason born in 1874, who was a great favourite of Swinburne's. For reasons unknown, Charles Mason seems to have separated from his wife and son and emigrated to Canada in 1885, to where all his siblings followed him by 1912. Miranda Mason remained at "The Pines" with her brother Theodore, the poet Swinburne and the other members of that household. Their son Herbert W. Mason reportedly died in 1947, not long surviving his father who died in 1929.

Obviously Mary Mason was intimately connected with these artistic circles in London in the second half of the 19th century; Dante Gabriel Rossetti, George Borrow, William & Jane Morris, (of "Arts & Crafts Movement fame) Ford Madox Brown, these were close friends of Theodore Watts-Dunton and frequent visitors to his house "The Pines".

This garment probably saw them all...

It is not easy to value such an item, so I welcome information that would help to do so, and of course reasonable offers.

This cloak will be carefully packed and shipped for exact cost only.

Thank you for looking!

From Me:

It's most likely from the Civil War Era. There is a similar one, from 1860, at the McCord Museum in Canada.

Personally, I LOVE THIS. The color, the style, the embroidery, it's all perfect in my book.

Pretty Silk Embroidered Apron

From the seller:

This apron came out of an estate in Weston, MA. The apron was found in a box in the attic of the Headmasters House at the Rivers Country Day School. When found, the note, of which I took a photo, was folded in the apron. The note reads:
Worn in 1835
I believe this apron to actually have been made in the 1700’s. The fabric and craftsmanship as well as design indicates a French origin and was most probably designed to be worn over a particular gown. The original owner was likely to be a noble-woman and the apron just another adornment to the ensemble as was the fashion of the time.

The apron itself is in remarkable condition. See for yourself in the photos. There is some fabric fading, but the fabric remains strong. The silk is in good condition with no splitting like you see in so many garments from the day. The embroidery is in great condition. The pockets have been sewn shut from the under side. The waist is heavily gathered. The chording for the apron tie/string is also silk and very long. The color of the apron is a rich deep brick hue. Just magnificent.

I have with this the provenance of the woman who brought the apron to me; to Ohio. This piece of paper reads:
The apron marked “worn in 1835” was from the Headmasters House at Rivers County Day School, Weston, MA. I think his name was Blackwell and the family left several boxes in the attic when he retired. It was brought back to Ohio in 1971. I lived in the house during college summer break doing some renovations there.

The apron measures:
(all measurements approximate)
Total length: 28.5:”
Width at base: 30.5”
Width at top – gathered waist portion: 11.5”
Total length of apron cording tie/string: 110.2” – over 9 feet
Pocket length: 4.75”

From Me:

The 1835 date is correct. Here are some similar aprons from around the late Romantic/early Victorian era that are similar:

• As part of the Tasha Tudor collect, 1840's
• Mid 19th Century
• 1838 Apron (Notice, this one not only is rectangular but also has the slit pockets at about the same position of the extant one above)
• 1833 <-this data-blogger-escaped-cords="" data-blogger-escaped-has="" data-blogger-escaped-li="" data-blogger-escaped-one="" data-blogger-escaped-the="">

While there are some similar ones in the 18th Century, those tend to be more heavily embroidered and the embroidery is all the way to the outside, not around the middle like the extant one.