18th century dress

After the death of a friend, her children gave me what I "understood" to be a costume, but having received it & after speaking with them -- I believe it is an 18th "robe anglaise" in good condition. It is now folded in a dark dry closet. It belongs in a museum, right? I need help researching / selling (my situation dictates "donations" are not sensible.) Any tips on procedures would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Melissa

 

Hi Melissa,

If it is an 18th century dress there are any number of us here who would be interested in it and I'll be happy to head the line. If you can post pictures we may be able to give you more help/advice. Whatever you do, DON'T DONATE! Many museums turn around and resell donated items in order to fund other purchases.

Anyway, post pictures and let's see what we can tell you about your find!

 

cripes candy, museums sell on donated goods...that awful..there arent allowed to here..we are a council owned museum..they ARE allowed to throw but to give away...or sell...
l have offered to take anyhting and sell on and split the rewards..but no they darent...

 

I don't necessarily agree with Candy over the museum angle, however, I am sure there are a few of us here who can help you identify the dress. Sometimes it is more profitable to donate an item to a museum for a tax receipt and sometimes museums will also purchase items as well -- it depends. Actually I am all in favour of museums having liquid accession and deaccesseion policies. There is no reason a museum should be trapped into owning and caring for something forever that is of no use to them. However, what is important is that the museum collects with discretion rather than acquire randomly without purpose. I wouldn't suggest donating to any museum anymore than you would stick your granny in any old-age facility! If it weren't for museum collections the very best examples of dress history would not be accessible and we wouldn't have the body of research and knowledge out there that we do on the subject of fashion history. By far the best research on dress and textiles has come from public institutions.

 

Photos, please!

Hollis

 

OH LADIES! Thank you so much for good advice. I have a big delivery Friday (five identical linen skirts for a client -- the psychology of sewing for people is fascinating, but I digress), but over the weekend I'll take photos and post. I'm so relieved to have found the right place to help me make the right decision.
Back to the Machine, Melissa

 

PICS of frock

Ladies,
Please forgive my tardiness in getting around to this...here are some pics. I can take more / more detailed / better...but this at least gets the "discussion ball rolling." So happy to have time again to visit the site and forum.

Melissa

 

MERDE

I meant to post another coupla pics before posting....sorry, I'm handier with the needle...okay, I can't seem to put more than one photo per post....help please!

Thanks, Melissa

 

Can you supply a picture of the front? In this case its very important. Its not a robe Anglaise, but rather a Robe Francaise, or Watteau robe with the pleats falling from the shoulders to the hem in back. An English robe is fitted. THe sleeves look suspiciously short to me, but its hard to tell, so a close-up of that if possible would be good too. It looks like it is straight at the front from the neck to the hem? but it could be an open robe (ie: needs a stomacher and petticoat to fill in the front) The fabric looks 1760s, its not older but it might go into the 1770s. Its too heavy for 1780s, so my guess would 1760s from what I can see. Its a farily unusual colour combination and the lining looks like natural linen, which is more typical of continental European dresses rather than English. The fabric doesn't look ENglish to me either. The best thing about it all is that it doesn't look like its been altered but I need more pics, and preferrably I need to handle it to know.

 

Robe FRANCAISE

I was told that the skirt was "missing", so there were other parts. It had been altered -- apparently worn to a costume party at some point in time -- it was hemmed up, not cut. That has half fallen out. I've touched nothing. Here is a phot of the bodice (and how DO I post more than one photo at a time?) Thanks for your help.
Melissa

 

That is probably correct. This looks like it probably had a matching skirt. Not all did, many used quilted petticoats but they are more informal styles. This is a full dress robe. The missing skirt cuts into the price a bit. If you want to forward the pics to me I can post them for you. I'm not sure why you can't post more than one -- you just have to putin the same code for the first pic, with a space between.

 

me301.......sorry but this is totally out of my little league..... but this post is soooo interesting.....it has really grabbed my attention.......

and learning loads from johnathan's comments about your beautifull robe.......

i would love if you could post some more pics if poss.....

also slightly cheeky... but.. johnathan.... the parts that are missing from this robe..... have you got some pictures of similar parts..... or a similar robe in its intire....just to see....out of curiousity.......

thanks.......

 

I think when you use the "attach picture" option in the reply screen, you can only post one picture at a time. Otherwise, you have to have the photos hosted somewhere and type the code into your message here



For example, < img src="http://www.vintagefashionlibrary.com/images/vfl_105_cover.jpg" > posts the following picture:




And thank you for posting these pictures and for the wonderful information. I love learning about the very old gowns.

Laura

 

this is utterly fascinating.....one minute we are talking one thing, then one opens a post not knowing whats going to be in it....facsinating really!!

 

<img src=http://home.cogeco.ca/~knorman1/Image58.jpg>

 

This dress is similar in period to yours with the striped effect fabric and open robe style with what would have been a matching petticoat. I do think yours had a matching petticoat at one time, so that is a shame its missing. This dress is c. 1765ish

 

OOOOHHHHH, Jonathan what a beautiful picture, she is READY TO GO and BE FANCY. Thanks for sharing (I will take another better pic of the full front for you. )

and yes Laura, the problem is that when I "seek" my photo on the computer the screen doesn't give me an "okay and add another" option.

All excited about fashion (even more than before!) Melissa

 

thank you jonathan

for posting a pic of the dress....so we can see what the parts that are missing on the other one.....

really interesting.....

thanks......

 

What a neat find! Stuff that old makes me so nervous, sort of an "I'm not worthy" to hold such a piece of history feeling.
I am always affraid that an item has survived for so long, and that I will be the end of it...like I'll loose my head and go fondling it with Cheeto fingers, or throw it in the Maytag for a freshening up.



As for museums, I'm all for them being able to sell off the average and ordinary. I just bought a large lot of such in the form of hats from the historical costume collection at one of the nearby schools. They get sooooo much stuff donated to them that they have a plethora of average items. The good stuff gets pulled for the collection, the average stuff that is covered in excess in their collection is rotated through then sold. This income helps their cause, to help keep the space safe for the exceptional pieces (costs a lot for round the clock temp/humidity monitoring!).
I'm happy to be at the door taking their cast-offs!