19th century silk brocade ball-gown

This is a silk brocade ballgown which dates from sometime in the 1850’s, consisting of awide tiered skirt and a separate boned bodice withe eyelets to lace it closed. It comes from the château across the road, and was found in a box on a shelf in a large storeroom full of cupboards which was used only for linen. The box it was found in dates to a later decade, possibly the 1880’s, and it belongs to the luxury goods store La Belle Jardinière, which my landlady’s grandmother seems to have been very fond of. It may be that the dress was sent to La Belle Jardinière to be remodelled, as someone commented when I first showed this that the skirt might not originally have looked like it does now. The value of the fabric also meant that updating it to reflect current styles was an economical use of the cloth.

Because of the way it was stored, the fading is minimal and the vast bulk of the dress is in very good condition. The silk brocade is such a beautiful colour - duck egg blue and sliver. There are some marks and oxidisation. I have not cleaned or ironed this, it requires cleaning by an expert in these costumes, and I have seen so much damage done by people who don’t have the knowledge or facilities- I do not have the necessary equipment to clean this piece properly, so you will have to enjoy it crumpled! Please see the photos for an idea of the condition.

This piece could technically be wearable but the bodice is very tiny and was made to fit over a very tightly boned corset. For reference, it is being displayed on a mannequin from the 1840’s-50’s which would have been an older child’s size - maybe 8-10 years old. It is too big for this mannequin but would not fit on my 1950’s size 36 mannequin.

The box will come with it, they belong together.

Please click on the photos to open them up full-sized.

For all further enquiries, or to buy, please contact me.