IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE AND ORNAMENTATION OF LADIES' WEARING APPAREL
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Chickall Jay, of Regent Street, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE AND ORNAMENTATION OF LADIES' WEARING APPAREL."
Sealed the 13th December 1864, and dated the 16th June 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said. William Chickall Jay at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th June 1864.
I, WILLIAM CHICKALL JAY, of Regent Street, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE AND ORNAMENTATION OF LADIES' WEARING APPAREL," to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists in certain improvements in the manufacture of
various descriptions of ladies' wearing apparel, such as the skirts and bodies of
dresses, mantles, cloaks, bonnets, or other articles of dress where ornament is
desirable. The object being to present different patterns or devices upon one
and the same article, the colors being also varied. I propose to attach to the
various articles of dress portions of ornamented fabrics, the central parts
being secured to the main body of the material of which the apparel may be
composed, the sides or ends being left loose but capable of being turned or
folded over to enclose one pattern and expose another on its outer surface, or
to be opened and thus exposing a different design or pattern. Thus it is

page_text: obvious that many devices may be obtained on one article of dress by opening
some patterns and closing others, the corners or loose portions being secured
to the main fabric by ornamental buttons or by hooks and eyes or other
fastenings suitable for the purpose.
The form of the ornament may be varied according to taste, either in
diamonds, squares, pear-shapes, triangles, or other desired form, the loose or
unattached portions forming flaps, wings, or lappets either side of which may
be of different patterns, colors, devices or designs, and ornamented as desired
with lace, gimp, ribbons, or other trimmings, also beads, bugles, buttons, or other
fancy ornament. The object being as before stated to combine use with
various ornamentations on one article of ladies' apparel. The skirts of dresses
may also be "tucked" with spaces made at intervals on the top, also orna-
mental openings cut in the fabric, in order to drop into each recess a
different color, thus varying in many ways the character of the dress.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Chickall Jay in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th December 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CHICKALL JAY, of Regent Street, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Chickall Jay, Her special license that I, the said William
Chickall Jay, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Chickall Jay, executors, administrators, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND ORNAMENTATION OF LADIES' WEARING APPAREL,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Chickall Jay,
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great

page_text: Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Chickall Jay, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This Invention consists in certain improvements in the manufacture of
various descriptions of ladies' wearing apparel, such as the skirts and bodies of
dresses, mantles, cloaks, bonnets, or other article of dress where ornament is
desirable. The object being to present different patterns or devices upon one
and the same article, the colors being also varied. I propose to attach to the
various articles of dress portions of ornamented fabrics the central parts being
secured to the main body of the material of which the apparel may be com-
posed, the sides or ends being left loose but capable of being turned or folded
over to enclose one pattern and expose another on its outer surface, or to be
opened and thus expose a different design or pattern. Thus it is obvious that
many devices may be obtained on one article of dress by opening some
patterns and closing others, the corners or portions being secured to the
main fabric by ornamental buttons or by hooks and eyes or other fastenings
suitable for the purpose.
The form of the ornament may be varied according to taste, either in
diamonds, squares, pear-shapes, triangles, or other desired form, the loose or
unattached portions forming flaps, wings, or lappets either side of which may
be of different patterns, colors, devices, or designs, and ornamented as desired
with lace, gimp, ribbons, or other trimmings, also beads, bugles, buttons, or
other fancy ornament. The object being as before stated to combine use
with various ornamentations on one article of ladies' apparel. The skirts of
dresses may also be "tucked" with spaces made at intervals on the top,
also ornamental openings cut in the fabric in order to drop into each
recess a different color, thus varying in many ways the character of the
dress.
In order that my said Invention may be completely understood, I annex a
Sheet of Drawings on which Fig. 1 represents a dress with flaps or lappets
closed in front and presenting an ordinary pattern; Fig. 2 represents the
dress with the flaps opened and thrown back and secured by hooks or buttons,
thereby presenting a different pattern in front; Fig. 3 represents on the same
principle a method of forming lappets on the skirts of dresses. Two are
shewn open and two closed; they may present violet or white colors when
opened, and black when closed, or other colors as desired; Fig. 4 represents a

page_text: mantle ornamented at the borders with a pattern of a buckle, stripes, and ovals
with flowers; behind the ovals are pockets or slips having oval patterns
thereon into which slips oval patterns may be placed of any device required, so
as to vary such designs.
I have given these three examples of my Invention, which are sufficient to
explain the extent to which it may be carried out with regard to other articles
of ladies' wearing apparel, the shapes of the ornaments, flaps, or laps may be
varied to any degree; what I claim and desire to be secured to me by the
herein in part recited Letters Patent are the methods herein described and
any others substantially to all intents and purposes the same thereto constitu-
ting Improvements in the Manufacture and Ornamentation of Ladies'
Wearing Apparel ".according to the title hereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Chickall Jay, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of December, in the year of
our Lord, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
ALEX. C. M. PRINCE,
Office for Patents,
4, Trafalgar Square,
Charing Cross.
London.
W. C. JAY. (L.S.)