1920s nightgown and matching bed cap

regan

regan

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This is todays find from the Alemeda antique fair. It is made of a textured cotton, is very detailed and it comes with its own bed cap and silk belt. Does it look teens, 20s or 30s? The lady I bought it from told me 20s but I want a second opinion. Would you say the pattern is liberty floral too?
 
Anyone? any ideas? the style does not look 1920s to me but the gown does look old, just not sure how old? The style looks more like to me what you call a Victorian or Edwardian nightdress.
 
I cannot tell for sure. The pink ribbonwork looks 1920's. The fabric looks possibly 20s also, or early 1930s. But the cut of the garment does not look 1920s at all. The boudoir cap went out of style after the 20's also. Could be an altered garment. Does it look home made? Sorry I just can't tell on this one, it is a mix of things to me.
 
Thanks for your response. I think it is homemade, but by a very good seamstress. There are dart shapes on both sides of the skirt too.
 
I'm getting a newer feeling on this one - this is the sort of thing that were I holding it, I'd have a much better idea.

It looks like cotton seersucker, which was popular in the early to mid '70s. There are so many florals over the years and a lot in the '70s so unless it has a reference point, I wouldn't call it a Liberty print, but you could call it a Liberty-style or a Laura Ashley-style or a traditional floral, it has a Victorian look I think. I agree with Barbara in that the ribbon treatment was used in the '20s but it's easy enough to make at other times.

The questions that would help are: what material are the buttons made of? Is it stitched with a cotton or a polyester thread? Is the decorative trim synthetic? How are the seams and hem sewn? I'd also look at the belt loops - it looks like a nightgown but the belt loops and the sash suggest it is a Victorian style made in more modern times as a dress.

On the available information, I think it's a '70s dress or a costume reproduction.
 
Seersucker was hugely popular in the teens, and this looks like some variant of seersucker... is the pink ribbon rayon or silk? If its silk, then I would safely date it to the teens, maybe as early as 1913/14.
 
Thanks for the info. The ribbon on the cap and the sash are silk. Sometimes I confuse rayon and silk, they both feel similar to me. I did a burn test with a tiny thread, it burns slowly and smells like hair. I honestly do not know the material of the buttons. I tried the cold cheek test, compared it to glass beads and I still cant tell. I also did a burn test on the thread and it burns fast and disappears into ash, so I think it is cotton. I believe the it is machine sewn and has a fat hem.
 
Regan, the likelihood of it being an early piece is greatly increasing - perhaps if you can show some images of the seams and hem? Is it topstitched or handsewn?

I test for glass by clacking buttons gently on my teeth: glass feels very different, cold and crisp, to other materials. If you test with other materials that you know are glass, plastic, wood etc, you'll soon see the difference. I agree that they look like glass but the belt loops are still throwing me: I haven't seen that style on an early nightgown before.
 
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