An 18th Century Embroidered Linen Bodice – Remade, Refashioned

It was the exquisite, delicate silk thread embroidery which first caught my eye. Some of the threads have worn away and the penciled outline drawn to guide the stitching is faintly visible. I know nothing about who embroidered this bodice or even where it was made. It was purchased in America, so perhaps it was made here during those turbulent mid-century decades. And yet the global nature of goods in the 18^th century, does not necessarily support this attribution without a provenance.

 It has been suggested that the bodice is of a hand loomed linen – if true, that is an uncommon find. Given the wispy quality of the embroidery and the type of garment , it probably dates from the mid- to later half of the 18^th century. There is a drawstring at the front and skilled piecing at front and back. The diminutive garment was in the process of being transformed –although into what it is not certain. There may have been sleeves, which have been removed, as the shoulders have been unpicked. The previous owner  notes “I would surmise from the way that the embroidery is cut and folded on the underside of the shoulder straps that originally this piece had sleeves.”

A single stay survives. The hand embroidery features those familiar Jacobean flower and leaf motifs we find through much of the 18^th century.

The height is 13.5 inches, it is 14 inches across, and 20 inches from bodice edge to edge when open. 

While not considered a “museum quality” garment, I nonetheless find it interesting as a study piece, which I share with my museum studies and material culture students. Was it being remade for a younger member of a household? Was it in the process of being completely disassembled for some of its pieces to go into a new garment? While we may never know the answers, it serves as a good example of silk embroidery and a time when even the smallest pieces of textiles were used and reused and remade.

Former collection of www.Trouvias.com

For more on embroidery, see: The Project Gutenberg eBook of Jacobean Embroidery, by Ada Wentworth Fitzwilliam and A. F....

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/18971/18971-h/18971-h.htm

Visiting With Elizabeth Bull's Wedding Dress, c. 1731-1735

“Tradition in the family states that he attended divine worship at Trinity Church, and there saw, for the first time, Miss Elizabeth Bull. He [Reverend Price] was so much pleased with her beauty that he gave up his intention of returning to England, sought her acquaintance, and during the year 1735 she became his wife.”

           -Annals of King’s Chapel.

When Miss Elizabeth Bull (b. 23 February 1716) began work on the dress that she would ultimately wear for her marriage to Reverend Roger Price, she was a teenager, probably about 15 years old. She most likely had not yet met, and was certainly not betrothed to, her future groom. According to The Bostonian Society (TBS), the caretakers of this rare pre-Revolutionary garment: "Miss Bull began designing, sewing, and embroidering her own China silk wedding gown while in school, a project undertaken by young women to practice and perfect the advanced needle arts. She had already been working on the gown for several years when, in 1734, she met Reverend Roger Price at Trinity Church. The gown was still not completed when Miss Bull wore it to their wedding the following year."

Viewing the "practice bodice" worked by Elizabeth Bull, perhaps as a prelude to her wedding dress, was an unexpected treat. Apparently never completed or worn, it is in excellent condition and the colors are still vibrant. My photos do not capture the texture & nuance of the piece, but hope they convey a glimpse of the beauty. This garment has long been one of my personal favorites, in part because of the many family stories the alterations reveal. Many will likely remain mysteries, even once the conservation of the dress is complete. The skilled work is being carried out by textile conservator, Kathryn Tarleton. (www.contextinc.net) 

Visiting at least a portion of the dress as it was intended – before the style driven alterations during the 19^th century – provided a special opportunity to experience a 1730s garment. Embroidered bold, bright floral patterns, laid out asymmetrically, dominate the “practice bodice” currently on view at TBS. The twisting tendrils, over-sized motives and powerful palette are associated with the Rococo in textiles, furniture  and wall coverings and hangings.

Above, details, hand embroidered floral details, silk thread on silk.  Note the hand drawn pattern, completed either by the young Miss Bull or an experienced family member or instructor to guide her embroidery.

The Bostonian Society/Old State House has undertaken major conservation of this significant gown and will be posting new information as it becomes available.

www.BostonHistory.org

Kimberly Alexander, Ph.D.

University of New Hampshire

Durham, NH. USA

Silk Roads: Mapping Federal Boston at Mrs. Rowson's Young Ladies Academy

Lydia Withington, Boston Harbour, 1799
Courtesy, www.BostonHistory.org
The Bostonian Society

It was one of those chance moments when circumstances bring us unexpected delights. I had recently completed an article centered on a young woman of the early Republic, Myra Montgomery of Haverhill, New Hampshire, who had studied at Susanna Rowson’s Young Ladies Academy in Boston. (1) (For more: http://silkdamask.blogspot.com/2013/05/mrs-susanna-rowsons-school-myra.html.) Myra was in Boston to complete her silk embroidery. (As of this writing, I still hope to locate the piece that she crafted, as well as those of her two older sisters, Mary and Ann, but that is a story for another time.)

I had an opportunity to attend a very special antique show and no doubt you can imagine the thrill when, turning a corner I was facing an embroidery of Boston Harbor, c. 1800.  I immediately recognized it as a product Mrs. Rowson's Academy.  It then dawned on me that I had also seen a closely related work at the Bostonian Society: Lydia Withington’s silk map of Boston Harbor, completed in 1799 when she was 15 years. (2) The piece that now perched before me was Sally Dodge’s embroidered map, completed at the Female Academy the following year. (3) (It was sold at auction at Skinner, Inc. in August 2013 and is now available again from Boston Rare Maps.)

Courtesy, Boston Rare Maps
www.bostonraremaps.com

Both pieces are striking and feature silk thread embroidery, which is worked on silk as well. They are quite delicate, and you can see patches in both maps of shredded, split silk and losses to the support. Exposure to light has not been kind. It is not surprising that objects of this composition are quite ephemeral. The attempt at geographical accuracy was strong.

That they come from the same source is clear. They share the conventional Federal motif of a majestic eagle and the vantage point is identical, as are the spellings of towns and bodies of water (“Boston Harbour”). What may not be as evident at first glance is the distinctive shift in the subject matter selected and what were deemed “acceptable” topics for a young lady’s education in the early republic. Mrs. Rowson,  well-known as the author of Charlotte Temple had also published two books on geography—An Abridgement of Universal Geography (1805) and Youth's first Step in Geography (1811)--and clearly imparted her knowledge to her pupils. And, it appears, the parents (who were footing steep costs for tuition, extra lessons and supplies) found the shift from inward-oriented religious and family samplers to those which looked out upon a larger world were quite comfortable with this shift in ideas about a proper education for young women. It was, historically, a significant moment in post-Revolutionary America.

I do not believe that the two works have been shown together, and, so, I invite you compare, contrast and cogitate on these beautiful (but extremely fragile) maps and what they may represent regarding changing ideals of women’s education.

Contacts and Sources:

1. Kimberly S. Alexander, “Myra Montgomery’s World: Haverhill, Boston and Beyond” Historical New Hampshire, volume 67; Nos. 1& 2, Fall-Winter 2013.

2. Lydia Withington:

http://www.bostonhistory.org

3. Sally Dodge:

Link to Skinner Sale of Sally Dodge Boston Map, 1800

http://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/2669M/lots/472

Contact Information for Boston Rare Maps

Michael L. Buehler

mlb@bostonraremaps.com

www.bostonraremaps.com