Another look at the front of the dress, showing skirt and petticoat |
The dress is made in the style of the 1750's, but the fabric is older. By looking closely, we can see that the dress has been altered.
There are horizontal seams running round the skirts of the robe, and the petticoat may have had a panel of fabric taken out.
We can guess why the dress was altered...
It may have been done to fit the smaller hooped petticoats worn after the 1740's.
Silk was very expensive. Only the rich could afford to buy the latest designs. Perhaps the owner of this dress couldn't afford new fabric, or maybe she liked the silk so much she decided to alter the dress, instead of having a new one made. |