Gown

A woman's gown and petticoat of silk lustring with a pink and white horizontal stripe and shaded maroon, pink and yellow stripes. The gown is in the English (tight-back style), open at the front with elbow-length sleeves and ruched cuffs. The bodice and sleeves are lined with linen. The pleats at the back are stitched down; the skirts are finely pleated into the waist seam and held in place with loose stitching 2 cm below it. The gown is made of 3 widths of silk with a partial panel and triangular gore at each side on the front.

The petticoat is made of 3 and a half widths of silk. There is a box pleat at the centre front and flat pleats at the side and back. The waist is bound with a narrow strip of the pleated silk. The petticoat is fastened at either side with linen tapes.

The gown was probably originally made in the early 1770s with robings and probably a stomacher and scalloped, pinked sleeve ruffles. There is a considerable amount of piecing of the fabric, very carefully matching the stripes in areas that would show and with less attention to this at the back of the petticoat. The gown was updated in the late 1770s. The robings unpicked and opened, so that bodice meets at the front. The sleeve ruffles were converted into sleeve cuffs. The two linen tape ties at the bodice side seams on the inside and the corresponding linen ties about 25 cm above the hem were probably added at this time to achieve the effect of a 'robe retroussé dans le poches'.

The longer linen ties at the front sides were possibly added at this time; one is a later replacement.