From the seller
Beautiful antique 1860.s civil war era silk plaid gown. The gown has a piece of lace added to front as a bib I believe that would enable someone of more normal size to wear. The narrow lace around the collar may have also been added. It has dropped piped shoulders with piping also at the the waist with large pleats all around. There are beautiful blue and gold buttons down the front and they would be able to be buttoned on a much smaller form shown in pic- wine colored form if I removed part of the narrow lace around the neck and down covering the back of the button holes.In first 2 pictures the bodice is just staying closed with the eye hook at waist done up and the lace bib is tucked inside but there is no eye hook at top to keep closed. It does stay closed on form or display. The pagoda sleeves have blue silk lining on the inside.There are 2 sections to the sleeves and the bottom is not sewn all the way to the upper half. Inside is lined in tan cotton on the bodice with 2 stays on each front and tan polished cotton on the skirt. There is a pocket in the side seam closure at front waist with eye hook. Hem is about 3 inches folded under with cotton braid on inside sewn to lining. Color is bright blue with black and stripes of blue and gray or tan hard to tell.
Measurements - Fit small form - wine colored 3rd pic and would button with measurements and fits well not tight with Bust 28 inches, waist, 23 inches, hips 30 inches, shoulders 12.25 inches. Neck 12.5 inches.
Shown on form and pictured - unable to be button - bust 32.25, waist 32.25 and hips 34, shoulders 14.5, neck 12.5 inches.
Condition- Silk for mostly good and strong. However, there is a large hole looks like a burn ( a long ago candle?) as it is black and crispy it is 4 1/2 inches wide from the seam just below the pocket to end of the grayish plaid and it is 2 3/4 inches at tallest.
If displaying this could be folded so as not to be seen so prominently. Also a very talented seamstress could cut a piece off of the bottom 3 " hem and carefully match and sew in like a patch. A braid could be put on the bottom,if that length was needed. Inside lining shows light underarms stains
From the Industrious Lady
This is one of these dresses that brings that brings to the forefront of our attention that many of these period dresses were homemade by hand by a woman either self taught or taught by her mother in her own home. The outside is immaculate, beautifully composed into a dress reminiscent of the bluest of daisies or the color of the sky just as it teeters on the edge of night and day, yet the inside has raw seams with big, ugly tacking stitching along the waistband. The lining itself is made of three types of fabric: blue lining on the sleeves, tan cotton on the bodice, and polished cotton on the skirt.
Do have to agree with the seller, this dress has been modified from its original form. The lacce looks like strips of four inch lace sewed together to make a panel, and then hooked to the dress with hook and eyes at some point in history. Whats interesting is this fabric is the same as a dress in my own collection, but that one is purple instead of blue. It also had been modified for use sometime in the 20th century. Even though these dresses have been modified, its all part of the dresses journey, its history. And isn't that why we love and collect these dresses? Because we love history? There is a story to tell in these threads, and if one is willing to listen, the dress might just reveal all its secrets.
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