Cream dress with floral lace and embroidery
date: label: Date
content: ca.1920
name: label: Created by
content: Unidentified
label: Subject of
content: Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007
notes: label: Description
content: A cream dress with floral lace and embroidery. The dress is made of multiple layers of silk bobbinet embordered with leaf motifs. Machine guipure lace is handstitched to the silk bobbinet throughout the garment. The lace depicts floral motifs possibly peonies and daisies. The larger motifs on the lace are created with embroidery on plain weave cotton. The lace and embroidery are likely machine made. The sleeves end slightly above the elbow with lace at the edges. The sleeves are stitched by hand. There is an exterior panel of bobbinet that starts at the shoulders and extends at hip level. It fastens with four snaps at the proper left shoulder and three snaps at the waistline. The bobbinet is further secured with tacking stitches on the proper right side at the shoulder, and at two points at the waistline. The panel of bobbinet plunges into a "V" shape exposing the lace at the bustline. A rectangular piece of bobbinet is placed at the center of the bust which creates the center of the neckline. Three horizontal knife pleats are hand sewn to the top of the neckline at the front bodice panel. Lace applique is hand stitched to the center bust on the same panel. The front bodice panel opens at the proper left edge of neckline with three snaps. Below the lace bodice panel, the dress opens at the center front with nine hooks and eyes and one snap at the bottom. At the waistline there are two snaps and one hook and eye towards the proper left. The dress is open past the waistline and two hooks and eyes are placed as closures, this is hidden by the lace at the front. A band of cut and drawn embroidery that creates overcast bars is at the waistline and at hip level. There are two exterior skirt layers. The top layer is attached at the waistline and ends above the knee eight inches from the bottom of the dress. The second layer starts at the band of cut and drawn embroidery at hip level and ends above the ankle. Both layers of the skirt end with the machine guipure lace. At the back of the dress a rectangular panel of bobbinet is stitched at the neckline and extends to hip level. Lace is hand stitched to the perimeter of the bobbinet and is tacked at the sides of the waistline. The two exterior layers of the skirt have center back seams. An under skirt panel is attached at the second cut and drawn embroidery seam. An added panel of bobbinet pleating is machine stitched at the skirt's hem and is four inches wide. All of the exterior seams are finished with overcast stitches.
label: Cataloging Notes
content: This project received Federal support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Clothing and dress
label: Topic
content: Fashion
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: Black Fashion Museum Collection
label: Classification
content: Clothing - Fashion and Historical
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2007.3.612
objectType: label: Type
content: dresses
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No known copyright restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: silk bobbinet, cotton lace, cotton thread, and metal
label: Dimensions
content: L x W: 51 1/2 × 15 1/2 in. (130.8 × 39.4 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: Waist: 31 in. (78.7 cm)