Wedding Dresses

Until the late nineteenth century, the average woman was married in her best dress. The dress of choice was not white because it was to be worn to church or for visiting. White wedding dresses came into fashion for wealthy women after Queen Victoria’s wedding in 1840. By the 1870s, middle-class women wanted white wedding […]

Christening Gowns

Traditionally, the first time a child was seen in public was for baptism, and the baby was dressed up to be introduced to the neighbors. By the eighteenth century, christening gowns were white to symbolize purity. Many were embroidered, and most had matching bonnets. Since the gowns were used for more than one child in […]

Accessories—Collars, Handbags, Fans, and Gloves

Small articles of antique clothing are easy to collect. Odds and ends like fancy collars, beaded gloves, and lace fans were too good for everyday use and did not suffer the wear and tear other garments did. The best examples have lace, beading, or embroidery. Machine-made pieces, like celluloid collars or printed fans, are interesting, […]

Shawls

Great-Grandmother may have owned several types of shawls. Embroidered Spanish silk, French Chantilly lace, woven Kashmir, and paisley shawls were popular during the nineteenth century. Shawls were fashionable in Europe and America from about 1790- 1870. The history of the shawl dates back to the eleventh century in Kashmir. Very wealthy men wore the expensive […]

Rugs, Carpets, Oriental Rugs, and Other Floor Coverings

The first true carpet was produced in Babylonia about 700 B.C. Carpets might have been made at an even earlier date. A type of Oriental rug was used in ancient Greece and Rome, but wear plus time has destroyed them. The earliest existing rugs date from the 1400s. Sand and rush matting were the earliest […]

Stump Work

Stump work is a form of embroidery that was popular in England and the colonies beginning in the middle of the seventeenth century. The embroidery was padded, and the stitches appeared to be raised. It is seldom done today. Photo: DuMouchelles Art Gallery

Stevengraphs

In Coventry, England, about 1860, weaver Thomas Stevens adapted his loom to produce woven bookmarks, fancy ribbons, and other novelties. He developed Stevengraphs, woven silk pictures that were mounted on cardboard and sold to be hung in homes. These silk pictures showed the Crystal Palace, the Houses of Parliament, and other famous buildings; horse racing, […]

Samplers

A sampler is exactly what the name suggests: a sample of the skills of the maker. Samplers have been made for hundreds of years. They reached the height of their popularity during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Europe, but the best American samplers date from 1790 to 1840. One of the earliest samplers that […]

Needle Painting

Needle painting is a special type of art. A picture was made with a sewn stitch of colored silk thread. The stitches were placed in all directions, but the stitch texture and color variations made the picture. Needle paintings were made as early as the fifteenth century.

Needlepoint

“Needlepoint” describes counted-thread needlework that covers the entire canvas. It includes petit point, gros point, and flame stitch (bargello). The canvas may be silk, cotton, or linen. The average collector today thinks only gros point is needlepoint. It is often used to upholster furniture. Early needlepoint patterns were marked in black and white on graph […]