Two Refashioned Silk Dresses

Photograph by Laura Wulf @Massachusetts Historical Society

Exhibit Teaser: Two refashioned silk dresses will be featured in the forthcoming exhibition at the Massachusetts Historical Society (https://www.masshist.org) ‘Fashioning the New England Family’ which opens October 2018. The lush, emerald green dress on the left began as Spitalfields silk damask wedding dress, worn by Rebecca Tailer [Byles] for her Boston wedding to Reverend Mather Byles, in 1747. It was altered, clumsily, c.1830s-40s, most likely for a costume or fancy dress event. Her matching shoes are extant and will also be on view.

Photograph by Laura Wulf @Massachusetts Historical Society

Unfortunately, we do not know who made or wore the well-constructed pale green silk dress on the right. It shows the hand of a skilled dressmaker and most likely has a New England connection. Examination by costume historian and mannequin maker, Astrida Schaeffer, revealed the possibility that the original c1830s dress was replete with popular pouf sleeves, which were painstakingly remade for the 1840s.

Photograph by Laura Wulf @Massachusetts Historical Society

Photograph by Laura Wulf @Massachusetts Historical Society

Guest Curator, Kimberly Alexander, Ph.D.

MHS Curator, Anne Bentley

Photographer, Laura Wulf

Both dresses are shown on custom mannequins made by Astrida Schaeffer of Schaeffer Arts. (http://www.schaefferarts.com/)

Red Silk Tango Boots

Everyone should learn to tango in Argentina before they die.

 -- Ian McKeever

Going out this weekend? Dancing? Beware of the lascivious Tango warned the Ladies Home Journal in 1921! Shoes and boots like these, which usually featured criss-crossed laces, became know as Tango shoes in the early 20th century when the dance first flourished in America. The high, shapely heel flattered the ankle and leg as the dancer was "dipped" by her partner.

Red silk satin barrette style Tango boots are on view at the
Currier Museum of Art "Killer Heels" exhibit through May 2016
@Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada

These red, silk satin French-made “barrette/Tango boots” are in the collection of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto (http://www.batashoemuseum.ca) and date circa 1910s-1920s. Even if you do not fancy dancing, they just beckon you to have some fun, don’t they? In order to dance the Tango, the shoe needed to be well-fitted and secure. The lacing, or barrette-style straps, run up the ankle (and often the calf, as in this example) adding a provocative, sensual twist – appropriate for the dance itself.

The designer, Nicholas Greco, is responsible for some lovely footwear in the 1920s and 1930s. Extant examples may be found in collections including the Metropolitan Museum and the Shelburne Museum (http://shelburnemuseum.org/visit/), such as this pair of suede and grosgrain, circa 1930.

The red silk satin barrette style Tango boots are on view at the Currier Museum of Art "Killer Heels-The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe" exhibit through May 2016. Organized by the Brooklyn Museum. @Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada

A French Plaid Silk Taffeta Boutis Quilt, c. 1760s+

How many more wonderful textile related words can you squeeze into this title? Plaid. Silk. Taffeta. Boutis. Quilt. Each on its own denotes something special, but when taken together? It is beyond the ordinary, everyday.

This cheerful French silk taffeta, most likely intended for a dress, was in circulation by 1764 --it  appears in Selling Silks: A Merchant’s Sample Book by Leslie Ellis Miller. There is at least one extant example of a gown made from the same or very similar plaid, sold at Whitaker Auction.

 However, at some point -- probably a few decades later than the silk production date—it is transformed into a French quilt (c.1800?). The quilting is of a type known as boutis. Boutis work is a Provençal word meaning 'stuffing', describing the manner in which two layers of fabric are quilted together with stuffing sandwiched between sections of the design, creating a raised effect. [1] This example is charming, and includes hearts at the corners. You can see bits of the cotton wadding or batting used to “puff” out the quilt, typical of boutis work.

Taffeta is a very thin silk. The batting used to quilt the boutis has pushed the silk, causing strain and resulting in damage. However, the design of the hand stitching also holds the silk together. Although damaged due to folds and wear, with tears to the boutis and shattered silk, it nonetheless is valuable as a study piece.

 1. http://www.historyofquilts.com/french_quilt_history.html

Formerly from www.Trouvais.com collection

A Beautiful "Bizarre" Silk Robe Volante, c. 1720s

This stunning “bizarre” silk robe and petticoat was recently on view at Historic Deerfield, Deerfield, Massachusetts (www.Hist_Deerfield.org). The sumptuous green and white silk droguet (or drugget in English), meaning a fancy silk fabric created with detailed, complicated patterns, was mostly likely woven in Lyon, France. Lyon is recogonized as a premier center of silk weaving during the 17^th and 18^th centuries. The textile is dated c. 1710s but the gown was made c. 1720 and reveals later alterations.

Ned Lazaro, Associate Curator of Textiles, shared the following:

“Patterned silks were one of the most expensive textiles available during the 17^th and 18^th centuries.  The time and effort to draft the design and to weave the pattern added significantly to their cost.  In this example, two sets of warp (vertical) and weft (horizontal) threads create a repeating “ bizarre ” design.  Popular in the first decade of the 18^th century, bizarre silks are characterized by their fanciful design elements, playful use of scale, and a western interpretation of eastern motifs. 

Known variously as a robe battante or robe volante (meaning floating or flying dress), this important survival illustrates the more casual French influence in women’s fashion after the death of Louis XIV.  The garment appears to float freely off of the shoulders, with the material in back loosely fitted with an arrangement of double box pleats.  Despite its casual outward appearance, however, the dress would have been anchored to a firm pair of stays underneath.  At some point after the gown’s initial creation, sleeve flounces and robings, gathered material edging the gown’s opening, were added in different, although matching, silk.”

A "bizarre" silk damask piece, French or Dutch, c.1700. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Textile detail of man’s "bizarre" silk sleeved waistcoat, c. 1715. 

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

The development of so called “bizarre” designs appear among the English silk weavers of Spitalfields around the same time. Before 1710 bizarre designs combined over-scaled and distorted florals with architectural references, as well as chinoiserie elements. By the 1720s, however, the relatively brief bizarre period was drawing to a close in favor of more natural botanical motives.

A Gentleman's Silk Waistcoat, c. 1790

This handsome silk waistcoat with a linen back dates from c. 1790. Although the owner and maker are currently unknown, it is possible that the panels are English, sewn together locally, most likely in Maine. 

According to the museum director, Tara Vose Raiselis, there may have been size alterations at some point, indicated by the slightly mismatched embroidery (above). Note the neutral toned palette and stylised, geometric detailing. Light weight and without bulk it fits the desired male silhouette of the time. Embroidered buttons add to the charm. The waistcoat is an elegant, appropriate Neoclassical statement.

Currently under study, the waistcoat and is not on view and has not been published. Enjoy this special 'behind the scene' look into the collection of the Dyer Library/Saco Museum, Saco, Maine. 

http://www.DyerLibrarySaco.org

All photos are courtesy, Dyer Library/Saco Museum