We're moving to a new platform. Visit our beta site!

Embroidered Pink Silk Taffeta Girl's Dress, about 1905

1900-1910

Pink silk taffeta dress with flowers embroidered in silk on yoke, sleeve cuffs and skirt. High neck, with ruffled lace forming stand collar. Long set-in sleeves with turnover cuffs. Yoke and drop waist with rather crude hand smocking. Short pleated skirt. Center-back opening with four mother-of-pearl buttons. Machine-sewn, but gathering on bodice is done by large hand-stitching. Some top-stitching executed in machine stitches of chain-stitch with silk thread; interior seams of cotton thread in lock-stitch. Barely visible embroidery pattern stamped in blue on pink silk. This is a nice example of a turn-of-the-century young girl's Mother Hubbard-style party dress. Yoke fronts, low waists, and silk art embroidery were popular during the era, and the front bosom is reminiscent of the pigeon breast look that would have been popular in mother's bodices circa 1900. The dress would have been rather short on a young girl. A barely visible embroidery pattern is stamped in blue on the pink silk, perhaps from a mass-produced pattern.


Additional Information