Fashion sketch

This design by the fashion designer Sir Norman Hartnell (1901-1979) is for Queen Elizabeth II. It shows a design for a green wrap around day dress accessorised with contrasting black gloves and shoes. The large turn-back cuffs on the sleeves and nipped-in waistline are both characteristic of style features that were fashionable at the time.

The dress is similar to designs made by Hartnell for Princess Margaret. The sisters often wore matching or similar style dresses from a young age into their early twenties.

Fashion sketches were sent to customers for approval and comment. Designs for members of the Royal Family had to be suitable for royal protocol and use for royal duties. The sketch is signed by Norman Hartnell and marked 'specially designed for H.R.H The Princess Elizabeth' and numbered 11. The sketch was given as a gift by Hartnell to his personal assistant who he had worked with for a very long time. It had been kept by the family ever since.

Sir Norman Hartnell is famous for dressing two generations of the Royal Family, including Queen Elizabeth II, her sister Princess Margaret and their mother, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. In 1977 he became the first person to receive a knighthood for services to fashion. Hartnell's success as a designer significantly raised the profile of British fashion in the mid-20th century. His wearable and feminine designs often feature beautiful, embroidered embellishment, and he has been credited with shaping and creating a style for royalty in the 20th century.