Gown

A woman's gown of maroon satin with a supplementary pattern weft in a design of undulating vertical floral stems in green, red, yellow and white. The gown is in the English (tight-back) style, open at the front with elbow-length sleeves. The bodice and sleeves are lined with linen. The bodice front meet at the centre. The pleats at the back are stitched down. The gown is made of 4 widths of silk with a triangular gore and a partial width of silk on each side of the front. Lines of fading and a hem to the right side along the front edges of the gown indicate that these originally had a wide woven lace (braid) down the front and along the hem of the front panels.

The gown has been considerably altered for fancy dress. The waistseam was unpicked, the centre back panel cut at the waist and the skirts regathered and coarsely stitched. The sleeves have been altered, possibly a cuff removed and the sleeves folded up to shorten them. Casings and drawstrings were added to the gown fronts, as well as darts, hooks & eyes at the front edges. These were reshaped for a late 19th-century corset, and a band of silk sewn to the left front.