Help Dating my 19th C Dress

[Liz Jones]

Hi. I am considering selling this piece and want to try and accurately date it first so I can price it accordingly. I got it about 15 years ago and it came with an appraisal slip stating that it came from the granddaughter of John Quincy Adams, Mary Gardner Adams (1846-1928), and that it originally came from the former presidents estate. He died in 1848 and his wife died in 1852. The dress is mostly machine sewn with jacquard silk. It is made up of a separate bodice and skirt, and fastened together with hooks and eyes. I am fairly sure that this dress did come from Mary Garner Adams, but is it old enough to have come from the 1840's or earlier?

 

[Jonathan]

It's late 1890s - the waist length bodice, square yoke, puffed sleeves - all typical of about 1898, although the style is not as exuberant as you would normally find from the late 1890s - the skirt isn't overly exaggerated into an 'A' shape silhouette, and the decolletage is conservative, and the ratio of waist size to bust and hips looks not too dramatic... If it was Mary Gardner Adams, then she was about 52 when she wore it, so that explains the conservative approach to the fashion. Also, the dress is dressmaker made without a label, so not from a high-end dressmaker in New York or Boston. I usually think of pink as a young woman's dress colour, however, I have a pink dress from the mid 1890s that is a very large size, which suggests it's for an older woman, so I think it was a popular colour for middle aged women in the 1890s.

 

[Liz Jones]

It's late 1890s - the waist length bodice, square yoke, puffed sleeves - all typical of about 1898, although the style is not as exuberant as you would normally find from the late 1890s - the skirt isn't overly exaggerated into an 'A' shape silhouette, and the decolletage is conservative, and the ratio of waist size to bust and hips looks not too dramatic... If it was Mary Gardner Adams, then she was about 52 when she wore it, so that explains the conservative approach to the fashion. Also, the dress is dressmaker made without a label, so not from a high-end dressmaker in New York or Boston. I usually think of pink as a young woman's dress colour, however, I have a pink dress from the mid 1890s that is a very large size, which suggests it's for an older woman, so I think it was a popular colour for middle aged women in the 1890s.

I bought this dress when I was about 11 years old and even then the pre-1850's claim always seemed off. Having said that, the silhouette is largely influences by the shape of the dress form and lack of correct period under garments. Does that change the dating at all? About the color, Mary Gardner Adams husband died in 1899 so this would have to be pre-morning. The waist line looks somewhat atypical for the 1890's and I have always thought of this type of yoke being more popular with younger women. Mrs. Adams had 2 daughters born in the late 1880's. Could it have belonged to one of them at a later date? What would be the best way to value this item? I was just going to sell it on ebay, but I dont know how to factor in the provenance. Is there another way to sell it where it would fetch more money?

 

[Jonathan]

It might look a little snappier with the right undergarments, but it wouldn't change the style to another date. The waistline is fine for the late 1890s - its longer, earlier in the decade, and by 1901 its dipped in the front, so there is this rounded natural waistline in about 1895-1899. Here is a fashion plate from March 1898 and the similarities are all there.

 

[Liz Jones]

Ok. Thanks.