Dress made by an unidentified enslaved woman

Object Details

Created by

Unidentified Woman or Women

Subject of

Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007

Description

This is a handstitched long-sleeved dress with a full skirt made from a balanced plain-weave printed cotton. The sleeves are gathered at the back shoulder seam and the shoulder seam is dropped in the back. The bodice is gathered at the front waist and has a neck band with no collar. Both the neck band and the waist band are fussy cut to display the printed design. Piping is attached at the armholes and along the bottom of the waistband. The skirt is gathered at the front hips and the back with a flat panel along the center front waist. On the proper back bodice, three (3) glass buttons are sewn on the left side of the back opening (placket), with four (4) button holes on the right side. At the waist, two (2) decorative buttons are sewn on the right side of the opening, without corresponding button holes on the left side. The hem is turned up 3 1/2". The bodice and sleeves are lined with muslin, while the skirt is unlined. The printed pattern on the fabric is four (4) colors and black, with a base color of reddish brown, on top of which is a repeating pattern of columns of red roses alternating with columns of diamonds and clubs on a cream background inside a black, orange, and red border.

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane

1845-1865

Object number

2007.3.4

Restrictions & Rights

Public domain

Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

Type

dresses

Medium

cotton (textile), muslin

Dimensions

H x W x D (On Form): 47 1/2 x 23 x 20 in. (120.7 x 58.4 x 50.8 cm)

Waist: 25 1/2 in. (64.8 cm)

H x W (In box, padded out): 45 1/4 × 22 × 9 1/2 in. (114.9 × 55.9 × 24.1 cm)

Place made

Staunton, Augusta County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

See more items in

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Collection title

Black Fashion Museum Collection

Classification

Clothing - Fashion and Historical

Exhibition

Slavery and Freedom

On View

NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Topic

African American

Clothing and dress

Craftsmanship

Slavery

Women

Record ID

nmaahc_2007.3.4

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5e908fdce-0e5f-4b4b-8daa-fad2cc734930