Blouse. Light, gauzy fabric. White, sleeveless top with round neckline, buttons down back, drawstring in front. Narrow pleats down from shoulder and neck, 3' long. .25' lace around collar, across shoulders, and around armholes. Eyelet and embroidery desi
Cream-colored cotton blouse. (originally white?) Horizontally-ribbed fabric. Long-sleeved blouse. Ends of sleeves, neck, and bottom of blouse have 1.25' crochet trim. 16 shell buttons down front of blouse, do not go the whole way to the bottom. Peplum bo (J. Walton)
Stiff (atarched?) cream-colored horizontally-ribbed fabric. Contoured long-sleeved top with lace-covered mandarin collar and lace-triimed edges on sleeves and lower edges. Front opening with 15 round shell buttons and 1/2-inch button holes. 4 full-length darts from bust to hem edge. Back has full-length, center and contour seams. Bottom edge is tapered with a lace-trimmed center pleast (7 1/2 inches long). Machine and hand-stitching (buttonholes, lace, tapes at sleeves). Two lengths of cotton twill tape sewn inside at back waist.
Cotton vest. Brown with tan mottled moire material with smocking at front of shoulder and at stomach. Fan-like, and V-shaped at bottom (waist). Very thin V-shaped piping around neck and down middle of front. Thicker piping around waist. Padding sewn at b (J. Walton)
C. 1840-50
Woman's top. Brown spackled cotton. Double construction with white lining. Closes in back with 15 hooks and eyes (only 2 hooks remain). Sleeves are missing--or whatever was attached at sleeve edges.
3 rows of gathering/ruching on each shoulder.
Center front tapers to point with 9 rows of tiny gahters tapering to point at bottom.
Part of a four-piece dress. Blue velvet bodice with pointed lower front edges. Raw edges at collar, sleeves, and along waist/ bottom edge. Fronts have two bust darts. Right front has 21 buttonholes finished in buttonhole stitch. Left front has threads where buttons (now missing) had been sewn on. Front has batting between velvet and lining. Finely finished interior with 11 places for contour stays -4 have stays; 2 each front and 1 behind each underarm seam. 4 1/2 inch long brown fabric piece with 5 hooks inside right front; piece with 5 eyes on inside left front, attached at waist to reduce strain of buttons/ buttonholes. Brown twill tape as backing for buttons.
With garment are two lined tabs, tacked together. Metal pieces inside tips. 3-parallel lines of stitching around outline of both tabs. Top edges are raw, unfinished edges, White mesh stiffener between velvet and lining.
2 piece dress of Rust Moire. Bodice has bishop sleeves with double row of same material ruching above end of sleeve. Corduroy-covered rounded button closure down front, originally had eleven buttons, six are missing. Deep V at front and back center at waist 5 in below waist. Plain rounded neckline without collar. two 1in gathered bands of same fabric decorated sleeves and run from from lower front, up front waist, and has self fabric covered weight sewn on underside. Machine and hand stitcihng. 10 stays. Lined with brown cotton fabric with lighter weight fabric in sleeves. Seam raw edges overcast 4 hooks and eyes along inside from waist up.
Silk or satin bodice. Deep rust fabric. Jacket-like bodice with short mandarin collar. Double 'V' at bottom front. Fan-split at back with larger double 'V' and two button accents. 19 buttons at front are brown horn or bone with incised lines on half of face. Outer pieces and lining are sewn up as one with raw edges overcast. Two darts on left and right sides, below bust.
Some buttons missing / replaced. Ed Dec 13, 2016, VAP, unerarm stains and wear, stains on right front, wear on inside of darts, seam below left underarm.
Black silk bodice. Short-waisted with plain mandarin collar. Sleeves are long with ruched cuff. Round, small, black, bead-covered buttons down front opening. Black piping in leaf design sewn flat from shoulders down over chest and back of shoulders. Bust is padded. Raw edges inside are hand overcast. Sleeves open at outside edges with gathered decorative band around wrist openings. 2 tabbed pleats at center back with fabric covered weights sewn on 2 side tabs. 2 stays in front and 2 stays in back.
Black bodice. Damask with cloud designs. Long sleeves, rounded cuffs lined in white lace and edged with beads. Front has small bead and sequin design. Dense beading down side of front opening with has hook-and-eye closures. White chiffon and lace yoke an
Bodice, part of 3-pieces made of same fabric. (W.84.40.1, .2, .3) Purple silk-like fabric with matching embellished trims and fringe.
Inside: Main portion of bodice (lining & outer fabric) sewn by machine. 5 front stays: 2 bust dart stays (7-8 inches) on each side; one center front. Pieces of machine-knit fabric sewn at underarms (for sweat absorption?) 4 large hooks sewn at waist level match 4 eyes sewn on waistband to hook bodice and skirt. 6 smaller hooks sewn to bottom interior edge, 3 each side.
Outside back: Stiffening on back opening with 14 overcast holes on both sides for lacing. At top opening, fabric tape that's encased around entire edge of neckline can be pulled to gather low front neckline to fit across the chest. 3/5-inch long lightly gathered trim (with lace edging hand-stitched to upper edge) stitched around neckline. 1-inch wide purple ribbon embellished with white stem and leaves is hand-stitched from V/peak at center front up and over shoulders and down back of bodice ending with two 7.5-inch tails below center back opening. Purple and white fringe trim sewn around edges.
Sleeves: Bell-shaped sleeves trimmed with 2 encircling 2-inch wide bands of purple with purple and white diamond chain design. Top edges are trimmed with short .5-inch purple and white fringe. Lower edges trimmed with 2-inch dark purple fringe. Long sleeves inside out bell-shaped sleeve are constructed of fine fabric with lavish 10-inch trim at bottom.
Provenance
Said to have been worn to James Buchanan's inauguration.
Woman's bodice. Hook and eye fastening at front. Cream and sea green stripes (1/4'). Green silk covered metal buttons with star design stitched on front. But no buttonholes. Drop-shoulders with bishop sleeves. Staining, discoloration, mostly at underarms.
Petite bodice of green and ecru stripes. Green has slight sheen. body lined in white cotton; sleeves lined in white polished cotton. Set-in sleeves finished with narrow cording in same fabric. Inside wrist edge finished with green binding. Neck edge finished in dark green, with stitches show as dark green border on outside. Two arched pieces sewn onto back from sleeves curving to center with top stitching along curved edges. Two underarm pleats on sleeves. In back, two underarm stays one center. Two bust darts with stays on left and right. Ten hidden hooks and eyes fasten front. Six light green buttons are attached to front. Bottom waist finished with narrow rounded edge.
