A Silk Damask Sack-Back Dress, c. 1760s: Margaret Hunter Shop Milliners and Mantuamakers

Detail of silk damask

Apprentice Abby measuring 

Journeywoman Sarah taking advantage of daylight for sewing

I was very fortunate to be able to spend time recently at the Margaret Hunter Milliners and Mantuamakers at Colonial Williamsburg, watching the construction of a sack back dress (a robe à la française) of gold silk damask. It is based on an original held in the Charleston Museum collections, dating from the mid to late 1760s.

To watch the skilled work of the apprentices and journeywoman, under the masterful eye of Mistress Janea, was a true education for me, as well as the dozens of onlookers who packed into the shop.  Word had spread quickly that there was a dress being made and visitors were anxious to see the how the “gown in a day” project was proceeding.

Mistress Janea offers instruction 

As the first cut was made into this rich buttery yellow gold silk damask, I actually felt a pang of fear – I could not imagine cutting into the textile with such deft certainty. Over the weekend, I observed the first cutting of the fabric, the creation of the sleeves, the extensive pleating which went into the self fabric robings, the mock up of the stomacher, and the sack back (from which the dress derives its name), falling from the neckline and trailing elegantly behind. As the dress on which it is based, it is unlined.

Sleeves and trim

Self fabric robings with trim applied

On my final day, I was able see the gown fitted for Journeywoman Sarah. Due to the bustling activity in the shop and the level of detail required for the dress, the work was not yet complete when I left Colonial Williamsburg, but I will share finished views when they are available. (For additional in-progress shots, follow the shop on FaceBook, Twitter or Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/TheMargaretHunterShop?fref=ts)

Note the deep pleats for the sack back, the play of light on the silk

Fitting the dress

A few tidbits shared by the mantuamakers: 

The estimated cost of the fabric at the time would have been about 10-12 shillings per yard; approxiamately18 yards were needed for the dress

It would take about 30-40 hours to construct, most time would be devoted to the trim

The estimated cost would have been approximately 10-11 shillings for “making up”

The dress was designed to be worn over small pocket hoops

The extras are known as snips

I spend a good deal of time reading about historic garments, but nothing compares with actually seeing the handwork involved for garnering a deeper understanding.

Many thanks everyone at the shop – Janea, Sarah, Abby and two very talented and poised interns, Fiona and Lily -- and to friend and colleague, Susan Holloway Scott of Two Nerdy History Girls (http://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com) for introducing me to this creative group. I am already planning my next trip!

For more about the shop and its activities, see

http://whatsnew.history.org/2014/03/margaret-hunter-millinery-shop-celebrates-60th-anniversary-at-conference/

A Cordwainer, a Wedding Shoe & a Gaspee Patriot

I recently happened across a labeled silk damask shoe in the past offerings of Augusta Auctions. The shoe & its label piqued my interest. The physical details are well documented at www.AugustaAuction.com. ¹

Intrigued by the rich mocha hues, I could see past the wear and abraded surfaces to imagine the shoes with their original silk sheen and a pair of glittery shoes buckles. But it was a Pre-Revolutionary, Providence, Rhode Island label, identifying the maker, which truly captured my interest. I have spent considerable time corralling shoe labels from the UK and the Colonies for current research on shoes as trade commodities.

Naturally, this small label served as an advertisement or calling card for “John Gonsolve” and his business, located near the Mill-Bridge. Gonsolve clearly had success in his trade as a shoemaker, as one of his advertising notices from 1785 attests: he is seeking “Any Gentlemen of the Craft, duly qualified…and wanting a Seat in my shop…may have constant Employ, and good Wages.”

Gravitating to the inked in date of "1767" posed a number of questions: Was it added by the shoemaker or the wearer of the shoe and her descendants? Were the shoes preserved by the family because they were a tangible artifact of their ancestors lives or because they were treasured heirlooms representing stories lost to the historic record?  Given the impeccable provenance, knowing that the original owner of this pair of damask shoes was Phebe Wardell Smith (1748 – 1840), I dug a bit deeper.

As it turns out, she was married in December 1767 to James Smith of Bristol, Rhode Island (c. 1745-1826), indicating these were probably her wedding shoes. Details about her husband's life are hard to come by, with one significant exception: the recent discovery of his connection to the burning of the British cutter Gaspee in Providence in 1772. One of Smith’s compatriots, Ezra Ormsbee, notes in his pension application:

"In June 1772 when the English Revenue Cutter Gaspee was burnt in Providence River, I was one that went from this town and helped do it. Capt John Greenwood, James Smith, Abner Luther, Abel Easterbrooks, Nathaniel Easterbrooks, Hezekiah Kinnicut and myself went together in a whale boat and we helped burn her. I mention this merely as a revolutionary incident and not as connected with my pension claim. All the above named persons who were with me in burning the Gaspee have a long time now decd." ²

The Burning of the Gaspee by Charles deWolf Brownell, c1892

 Courtesy of RI Historical Society

Married for about five years at the time of the destruction of the Gaspee, one can only speculate about what Phebe, as the wife of very active participant in the Revolution, experienced. Certainly, her now well-worn shoes walked many miles, perhaps pacing with concern for his safety, during those tumultuous times. Indeed, Phebe and her young children removed to Dighton, Massachusetts for the duration if the conflict. The couple had six children.

One additional document provides information about James Smith’s role in the Revolution – Phebe’s pension request. Interesting reading, it is quoted in full from the Gaspee Virtual Archives below.³

Phebe died on September 23, 1840 at 92 years old, handing her shoes down to Fanny Smith.

Notes

1. Listing from Augusta Auctions:

Sage green & beige damask, white kid leather Italian style heel & rand, linen lining, leather sole & insole, square paper label stamped "SHOES, Made and Sold by JOHN CONSOLVE, In PROVIDENCE" and inked on label "1767", L 9.25", Wd 3", Heel Ht 1.75", (silk torn around back bottom edge of each shoe, slight wear at toe point, silk binding tape missing on top edges & latchets) fair. Provenance Phebe Wardwell Smith, from MA., mother of Fanny Smith (b. 1789), grandmother of John Jay Jenks (b. 1847).

2. Genealogical researcher, Pam R. Thompson wrote to the Gaspee Days Committee (www.gaspee.com) in 2005 that she had discovered a curious entry in the Revolutionary War Pension File, #S21404, for Ezra Ormsbee, born 30 March 1751 in Warren, RI, son of Ebenezer Ormsbee (sometimes spelled Ormsby) and Hannah Cole (Benjamin3, Hugh2, James1)  Ezra applied for his pension in Warren, RI, on 24 August 1833. It is here that the role of Smith is recognized.

3. Sections in bold added by author.

The Gaspee Virtual Archives note that Phebe, as James' widow, applied for pension (W12985) based on the Act of 1836 for his Revolutionary War service.

“Unfortunately, the copy available on HeritageQuest through NEGHS is hard to read--much of this is guesswork. The pension appears to have been applied for on 3Oct1836 from Bristol, RI, which was granted of $30 per year, and notes he served as a Private in the Captain Jeremiah Ingraham's Company of Bristol Militia from the commencement of hostilities until January 1776.  In January 1776 he enlisted into Captain Loring Peak's Company, serving three months while the company was stationed at Bristol. In 1777 her husband enlisted into Captain Caleb Carr's Company of Colonel Archibald __(?Throop)__'s Regiment one year while in Bristol, and at which time she and her children were inhabitants of Bristol during the Alarms, from which she moved to Dighton, MA and remained for the remainder of the war.  She did recall that her husband served out the war, and that he had been attached to Colonel Ormsby's Regiment [A connection to the Gaspee ]. She also recalled her husband was involved with British General Sullivan's capture from Portsmouth, RI.  She stated that she married James Smith in Bristol in December 1767, and that her husband James Smith died on 30June1826, and that she had since remained a widow. Documentary evidence accompanying the application includes a certification of the marriage between Phebe Wardwell and James Smith, and relates that James was the son of Samuel Smith of Bristol, and Phebe was the daughter of John Wardwell of Bristol.  There is also a statement from James Smith, Jr  corroborating the facts as his mother claims. There is no mention made in the pension paperwork about the Gaspee attack.”

All images of Phebe Wardell Smith's shoes are courtesy of www.augusta-auctions.com. You can find Augusta Auctions on Facebook and Twitter.

A French Neoclassical Apron: Marigold Yellow Silk Damask, c.1810

the French silk industry continued to flag in the later years of the 18th century and into the early 19th, due to fashion trends and International competition. Once Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself emperor in 1804, He created much needed economic stability at home.  Of his many measures, he  reinvigorated the French silk industry. The use of bright hues, even unusually colored silks dominated the clothing ensembles of the well-to-do. The lively, marigold apron Pictured here, exemplifies this trend during the Empire period.  The Hamot textile concern, which survived until the 1900s, is a good example of the industry. (See @frenchantiquetextile.com.)  

The apron’s neoclassicism is subtle but clear -- note the long lines (perfect over a columnar high-waisted white gown), the elaborate cording and graceful tassels. Indeed, the use of silk for the apron would have continued the visual effect of lightness and opacity, without bulk or heaviness of the earlier Rococo styles.

This particular delicate wisp of silk was a stylish statement rather than the "work-a-day"woman's garment. 

It measures: 6" top width, 28" bottom width, and 28 1/2" length.

Collection of the Author via @vintagetextile.com