From Zero To Overload: Miss Kristin

or, how Miss Kristin can't contain her gown excitement.

I have suddenly been walloped by a big pink rubber mallet called Inspiration!

My dearest Mrs. Peabody, who has taken it upon herself to oversee myself and Miss Wendy's appropriate attire, has found several pieces of portraiture that have my head spinning and swimming in all things "Pretty Silk Gowns!" Adding the two Copley portraits I have been studying through correspondence with Miss Wendy, I feel as if I am on 18thc. overload! (Dear readers, this is not a bad thing!)

While I may be getting ahead of myself here, picking out a gown to reproduce before talking about basic elements, I think it relieves a large chunk of research, time, and maybe stress and anxiety, especially since it's already been "approved." Plus, having a point of inspiration already chosen leaves me time and energy to devote to other research--such as a shift, stays, stockings, on and on.

Here are the portraits I have been looking at, by Copley:


On the left, Mrs. Thomas Gage (Margaret Kemble), and on the left, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Miffin (Sarah Morris). Click on the photos to be taken to their pages at the Timken Gallery of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, respectively.

Teaching Moment! 

Miss Kristin has chosen a gown from a portrait that she likes without realizing that it is inventive costume used by the artist and is not a real gown.  This variation would be considered "Turkish", and was chosen to impart timelessness to the portrait, Copley was copying an artistic trend/fad in England.  As a newcomer, Miss Kristin doesn't  know about fantasy dress in portraits.  Mrs. Peabody

And, the two portraits Mrs. Peabody has picked out, one from the Connecticut Historical Society and the other from the Metropolitan Museum of Art:


Look these over, if you will my dear readers, and anticipate my next post: why these, and maybe, which one!

Mrs. Miles is Perusing Copley (In the nicest possible way)

Choosing my clothing

As I was perusing my copy of Copley (available used, at not too expensive prices, they go up and down, this book is a must-have for research!), I noticed some mistakes.   One does get used to this, eventually, but it continues to infuriate me!  On page 307, in the discussion of Mrs. Paul Richard, it says that she is wearing a plain cotton apron, and that Copley only painted women in aprons twice.   Well...that apron doesn't look like cotton to me, it looks like a not quite opaque linen, in other words, a very good every day apron, not one I'd wear to cook in!  They reference p. 314, Dorothy Quincy, in her apron, but then, on page 319 there is Mrs. Mifflin, in what is quite clearly an apron!


Dorothy Quincy in her apron (I much prefer to link to the owner of the painting, but MFA website is not cooperating.)


Mrs Mifflin in her apron


Since Mrs Skinner and Mrs Winthrop both have gowns with robings and ribbons in a typical pattern, I think I will make my new gown in their style, with ribbons on the stomacher, in a pink rather like Dorothy Quincy.

The Love Letter

Miss Wendy again!
I have a few hunks of fabric that really want to be gowns, one a very pretty pinky peach love birds silk damask and the other a lavender silk taffeta. I’d planned the lavender to be a sacque, so I figured it was off limits to me for the Garden Party since we’re doing very serious, very specific research for this event (it’s not enough to say “well, it’s her mother’s old gown” in this case. We want to document everything...). I’ve been having trouble finding a damask I like to copy, though, original or portrait. Then I came across this:

This is a portrait by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, “The Love Letter.” I haven’t found out who the girl in the painting is, I’m not sure that anyone knows, actually. The portrait is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is dated circa 1770, which is perfect for me! The girl is pretty young and that silk is gorgeous and depending on what image of the painting I look at I think it’s light green, light blue, grey, or even lavender, so my silk will work wonderfully!

Before I can even think about making this gown, though, I’m going to need to decide what I need under it. The only shifts I have are pretty coarse, not to mention the longer seams are machine done. I also have to figure out if I need pocket hoops or hip rolls for this.

Then there’s that cap. I think I want to copy the portrait exactly (Maybe I’ll pose for a photo recreating it! I don’t think that dog is a shih tzu like my family’s dog, but I could still use our dog for it!), so I need to work out that cap and hair. I don’t know anything about doing hair other than a plain bun, so that’ll take a lot of practice (and/or help!).

The great thing about this gown is that other than that cuff, I can’t see any of the trim. That means I get to trim it however I want! I’ll have to look at other silk gowns and get ideas. Plus, until I started thinking about this specific painting, it had never occurred to me to notice how much trim is on the sleeves versus the front of the gown. Can I have more on the front than the sleeves? Or does knowing that the cuffs are pretty simple mean the front should be too? So I’ll keep looking through books and start paying attention to trim ratios.

Now that I have a look to copy, my next step is to come up with everything I’ll need to recreate it and figure out what I have to get my hands on!

A Yellow Gown At The Met

Metropolitan Museum of Art

On our recent journey to New York, Mrs S. and I were lucky to see this portrait in person in the American Wing in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Another good choice for young matrons and maidens as well to look to for their own reproductions!  Wearing a simple taffeta gown, this portrait of Margaret Strahan, was painted in 1771.  Her yellow silk gown closes in front with a compere stomacher.  Pinked self fabric trim twists and turns up the robings of her gown, simple but effective, providing a textural and 3 dimensional appearance so important to 18th century gowns.   This is not an expensive fabric, this gown can be reasonably reproduced by any re-enactor or costumer.

This closeup of the compere shows the small self fabric covered buttons that appear to be functional, not decorative and the two rows of pleated trim on either side of the buttons.  Neither difficult to do or expensive, no additonal purchase for trim.

Simple sleeve flounces and we can see the edges are pinked.  Two flounces and whitework sleeve ruffles set off the yellow of the gown and yet are simple in their embroidery design, something more easily duplicated than a complex embroidery design like Dresden work. 

This closeup of the pearl necklace shows us  six small pearl strands, with one giant strand of pearls, faux of course!  What a nice detail to incorporate into a necklace!   Faux pearls are a dime a dozen (literally) at rummage sales and yard sales, this would not cost a fortune to do.   If you look at the full portrait you can see the ribbon ties at the back of her neck securing the necklace.

 This last detail combines two elements.  First the gathered and pinked trim, gently flows up the robing.  Note that it does not match the pleated design on the compere, but the twisting on the robing is a nice balance to the geometric pleating on the compere.  This is also a good closeup of her neck thing.  It is obviously fine muslin or linen, with a series of box pleats providing the shaping as it goes around the neck.  It is not a handkerchief per se, but does the work of one, filling in the low neckline of the gown.  Could this be a tippet sighting?  Don't know! 

Please go to the museum site and look closely using the zoom feature.  Look especially at her hair ornaments, they almost look like enamel work to me.  Other opines welcome!

Mrs. Peabody

Connecticut Historical Society

Just spent some time zooming through the Connecticut Historical Society and their new museum database online.  Found lots of shoes and a few things of note for the Concord Chicks, especially this lovely portrait for the young matrons. 

Jane Ellery, Connecticut Historical Society

Check out her lovely cap, simple gown and accessories.  A perfect color for many, this rosy peach would flatter most complexions.   The date on this portrait is 1772,  her gown has a stomacher front with only simple ruching as trim on the robings, double sleeve flounces and double sleeve ruffles.  Her hair is high, but simple in style, the cap coming to a point at center front is perfect for the high hair.  The cap is very do-able, will help someone if they want to try this cap.   A simple not expensive silk taffeta will work well to reproduce this type of dress.   Doesn't she look like Becky F.?

Mrs. Peabody