Madame St. Felix's satin gigot sleeve gown, Brooklyn, NY, ca. 1833
Item 108984 info
Maine Historical Society
In the early 1830s, Anna Marie (Maltbyde) St. Felix (1798-1869) lived in Brooklyn, New York. Originally from Philadelphia, Madame St. Felix socialized in wealthy circles, as evidenced by her extravagant wardrobe. The very large balloon-shaped sleeves are in the demi-gigot style, most popular in the early 1830s. To maintain the desired fullness, women fastened cushions, known as plumpers, to the top of the inside shoulder, like a shoulder pad.
Madame St. Felix’s granddaughter Julia St. Felix Thaxter of Portland gifted the dress to the collection in 1924, during an era when MHS collected widely, rather than Maine specific. There is no evidence Madame St. Felix or her aristocratic husband Jean Reynaud de St. Felix, a Haitian-born settler-colonialist, ever lived in Maine. While the dress lacks a strong Maine provenance, it is an excellent period example.
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