dress
Report a Mistake- Date Made 1865-1875
- Event --
- Affiliation --
- Artist / Maker / Manufacturer --
- Object Number C-327 a-d
- Place of Origin Continent - North America, Country - Canada, Province / Territory - New Brunswick
- Place of Use Continent - North America, Country - Canada, Province / Territory - New Brunswick, Municipality - Saint John, Township / District - Saint John, County of
- Category Personal artifacts
- Sub-category Clothing, outerwear
- Department History
- Museum CMH
- Earliest 1865/01/10
- Latest 1875/12/31
- Materials Silkworm silk, Cotton
- Measurements Length 176.0 cm, Width 73.0 cm, Thickness 8.0 cm
- Caption Comments on this dress from the Reynolds family
- Additional Information Azure blue silk taffeta dress with royal blue pin stripes in groups of three; selvage to selvage width is 48 cm; cotton machine-made Maltese-type lace. Dress features matching blue silk taffeta and silk fringe with fancy beading. Peplum bodice is fitted with two long darts on each side of the buttoned centre front opening; back is cut in four pieces extending into deep pleated peplum centre back; front peplum is stitched on. Dress has a high round neck with a narrow stand-up collar; long sleeves are cut in two pieces and shaped; 13 self-covered buttons; lined with white cotton tabby; full skirt cut with a centre front gore and two on each side. Two straight lengths are gauged to the waistband at the back; front left opening; pocket in front right seam; lined with tarlatan. Two tapes run across the back inside the skirt, and the hem is faced with matching wool tape; overskirt has a rectangular panel; edged with matching silk fringe on one long side and lined with tarlatan. Dress also features a plain blue silk taffeta made-up bow with one short and two long tails all edged with a matching fringe; lined with tarlatan. The lace sleeve frills were a later addition; belt is now missing. Dress bodice has been altered, and in parts remade and relined, from being a late 1860s style to its current form: peplum was added to the front; back peplum was lengthened; sleeves were re-set; hem and front peplum turned up at a more recent date; bow was added in the early 1870s; the skirt's fringe does not match the one on the overskirt. There is no evidence of how overskirt was draped. This gown comes from the family of W.K. Reynolds, editor of the New Brunswick Magazine, and builder of the first suspension bridge in Saint John, New Brunswick.