Interesting cotton & lace nightie - vintage or not?

Midge

Midge

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Staff member
I picked this pretty nightie up at the Caritas shop this autumn. Mainly because it was pretty and I liked the handiwork on it (it reminded me of some things from my grandma's trousseau). It was low-priced since it has two small stains that are very hard to remove - so far I have only been able to bleach them by about half. But it's still a pretty piece, and closer inspection revealed that some changes had been made to it. Some I have already corrected, like the straps having been shortened. It's made from a nice, soft cotton that's not too thin.

nightie1.jpg


At first, it appeared to be realtively shapeless except for these darts on the sides:
nightie3.jpg


But after washing it by hand and hanging it up and seeing it against the light, there were traces of darts that have been opened - there are two in front and two in the back:
nightie6-1.jpg


Close-up of the seams:
nightie4.jpg


The only openings it has are these snaps at the front. They're Prym snaps, so that says not much about the age I guess, as this company has been around forever.
nightie2.jpg


The beautiful lace and embroidery work is what grabbed my attention first (I guess the ribbon that goes through the holes isn't original though):
nightie5.jpg


So, the first look made me think - vintage - going back to the 20s or 30s maybe. However, since seeing those darts that were opened, I'm not too sure anymore. Those old 30s craft & sewing magazines I have, that show patterns for things like this, with patterns for making the lace too, are all cut pretty straight. I also remember seeing patterns for nighties like this one in my mom's Burda magazines back in the 80s (or maybe 90s).

I like it anyway, but am intrigued and would like to know your opinion - vintage or not?

Karin
 
Karin, this sort of thing can be hard to date but the last photo shows a monogramme - that alone suggests it's on the older side of things.

Can you tell if the embroidery is hand or machine done? I'm thinking '30s or '40s but if it's machine embroidery, it could be a repro style from the '70s.

N
 
It's a shift, essentially the forerunner of the slip, originally for wearing underneath your corset. I would date it to the late teens or early 20s when filet crochet, and laces that imitate it, are especially popular. The side darts were probably original (teen's underwear often has a princess line) and were possibly removed in 1923 or 24 when the silhouette became more shapeless. It was probably abandoned from use in the mid 20s when the hemline went up. It looks very similar to one I have that was part of a 1921 Czech woman's trousseau. Prym is a German manufacturer of dome fasteners, but they exported all over middle and Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. France and England are the only countries that I don't think imported Prym fasteners (perhaps Italy, but I don't know for sure)
 
Thanks everyone for your comments.

I have been asking myself if it was hand or machine embroidered - not sure how to tell with this kind of embroidery. It's just so beautifully done. Here's a look at the backside of the embroidery, which looks just as nice as the front...
nightie7.jpg


But the monogram did make me think "earlier" - as I said, like all the monogrammed stuff that was left from my grandma's 40s trousseau.

@Jonathan - of course, a shift! As a reader of historical romances :embaressed: I should have thought of that :hysterical:. No kidding - that's where I came across this term (in English) first.
Prym products are still being sold in Switzerland, and I guess they've been available here since forever.

Karin
 
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