Black Brocade Ensemble

Overview: This two-piece dress dates from the 1890s. The skirt has an asymmetrical sweep of black lace across the front which matches lace on the bodice. The fabric is a black satin ground with small white floral sprigs.

Construction: The inner bodice is made of brown glazed cotton. The bodice closes center front with 19 hooks and loops spaced 1" apart, plus 2 hooks on the collar. All seam allowances have been bound with a narrow brown tape. The bodice is fully boned with 12 bones. There is embroidery decorating the bone casings. The inside waistband, made of the same brown cotton, measures 19 1/2". The bodice has a slight dip in front and back. The 2" standing collar has bias fabric ruched around it. There is a self-fabric rosette on each side of the front collar. The yoke is an applied ruched piece which is embellished with two rows of black jet seed bead trim. Below the yoke is a 7" wide black lace ruffle. There is a dress shield in left arm pit but missing on right; the label on the shield reads: " Extra Firm Trademark Confidently June 18, 1898." (Note that the shields could have been attached at a later date.) The outer bodice is pleated at center front and center back, radiating out from the center waist. The pleats are caught with catch stitch towards the waist. There is a self-facing binding the hem, and there is a ruched self-fabric belt that also has a self-fabric rosette attached at center front and center back waist. The sleeve has a leg-o-mutton shape. Its foundation is a 2-piece fitted sleeve made of the same brown cotton as the inner bodice. The puffed upper sleeve has no flat-lining but has a (now crushed) net frill that is up to 8" long to hold it up at the top of the armhole. The fullness has been gathered into armscye. The lower sleeve has 2 pieces and the top piece has two pleats at the elbow. There are 3 rows of the jet bead trim at the cuff. The skirt is flat-lined with a different brown glazed cotton. The skirt has 5 panels. The center front and sides are eased onto the waistband, and the center back panels are fully gathered into the waistband. The waistband, measuring 20 1/2", is made of the same flat-lining used in the skirt. The skirt closes at center back with a hook and eye on the waistband and one hook and eye in the middle of the placket. There are two hanging loops made of the same tape (with embroidery) as the bone casings in the bodice. The skirt has an asymmetrical lace flounce (high on proper left front, low on proper right front) made of the same lace as on the bodice. There is a row of the jet bead trim along the top edge of the flounce, and there are bows of 2.25" wide black satin ribbon at the top and bottom of the flounce. All seam allowances in the skirt are pinked. The stiff bias hem facing of a different glazed cotton is 8" deep. The bottom edge is bound with cotton velvet and measures 118" around There is additional fabric with the ensemble, 19" wide (selvedge to selvedge) by 1 1/4 yards.

Trim: Both bodice and skirt have lace, now discolored. The bodice and skirt are both adorned with jet beads. The center front and center back have fabric rosettes flanking either side of the collar. The bone casings on the inside are embroidered with a feather stitch.

Provenance: The label on the dress shield reads: " Extra Firm Trademark Confidently June 18, 1898."

Damage: There is a rip at center back of skirt and all the lace is discolored.