Dress worn at the English court, ca. 1775

Contributed by Maine Historical Society

Dress worn at the English court, ca. 1775

Purchase a reproduction of this item on VintageMaineImages.com.

This record was added to Maine Memory Network through the efforts of a student at University of Southern Maine. More info about student projects.

Description

Family lore stated Mary Hammond Murdock wore this dress at the English court of George II, who reigned from 1727 - 1760. Mary Murdock (or Murdoch) immigrated to Philadelphia with her husband William around 1735. Portland resident Julia St. Felix was Murdoch's 3x great grand-daughter. St. Felix donated the dress to Maine Historical Society.

While the silk brocade fabric dates to 1750 - 1765, the dress construction dates to around 1775, in the reign of George III (r.1760-1820). This dress is an example of English court fashion from the time of the American Revolution, however, Mary Hammond Murdock died in 1770, further complicating the story. Family lore also noted Murdoch's unnamed sister was bridesmaid at Queen Charlotte and George III's wedding. Perhaps the dress' connection to George III's court stems from that relationship.

The dress is a robe á la francaise: an open robe with an exposed matching underskirt. The fabric design features a self-colored ground, and floral sprays in pale blue, yellow, green and pink. The back of the robe includes falling pleats that start at the neckline and extend to the bottom hem.

View/Add Comments


About This Item

  • Title: Dress worn at the English court, ca. 1775
  • Creation Date: circa 1775
  • Subject Date: circa 1775
  • Location: England
  • Media: silk brocade
  • Dimensions: 142.24 cm x 281.305 cm
  • Local Code: 1482*c
  • Collection: Costume collection
  • Object Type: Physical Object

Cross Reference Searches

Standardized Subject Headings

People

Other Keywords


For more information about this item, contact:

Maine Historical Society
485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
Website

Use of this Item is not restricted by copyright and/or related rights, but the holding organization is contractually obligated to limit use. For more information, please contact the contributing organization. However, watermarked Maine Memory Network images may be used for educational purposes.

How to cite content on this site


More to Consider


Please post your comment below to share with others. If you'd like to privately share a comment or correction with MMN staff, please send us a message with this link.