Taffeta and velvet bustle dress ensemble, ca. 1880
Item 105516 info
Maine Historical Society
This silk taffeta and velvet two-piece ensemble marks the shift from circular crinolines to a full bustle at the back. A small bustle pad and metal half hoop—a rare survivor—remains attached inside the skirt’s waist back. Silk taffeta fabric drapes horizontally across a flat front skirt, which is edged with flat velvet panels over pleats. The matching velvet natural waist basque bodice features a typical back extension, which rests just over the bustle.
Bustle silhouettes ebbed and flowed throughout the 1870s and 1880s, with different phases and iterations. This particular silhouette may range from 1870 to 1885, reflecting both early and later bustle period details. The ensemble is associated with either Mabel (Little) Boynton of Jefferson, Maine, or Rose (Perkins) Hale of Boston, Massachusetts, Lillian Hale’s mother and mother-in-law, respectively.
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