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| A mid-19th century embroidered petticoat with scalloped hem detail. Point Park University Collection |
Before diving into a brief background on mid-19th century petticoats, specifically those meant to be seen under a morning dress or wrapper, I'd like to share a little story of happy coincidences. When I began this blog, one of the main goals was to document the experiences of my costume internship where I deconstructed and reproduced an original 1870s wrapper. Two years later, I published my 100th post which celebrated the completed project; and now, as the 200th post, we're full circle once again with an extant garment intended for wear under a wrapper. Some posts are just meant to be!
Historical Context
The term wrapper refers to a semi-fitted or loose dressing gown that women would often wear in the morning or evening over undergarments. While often following the details of fashionable dress, these garments were considered informal, best worn in the privacy of ones home "for breakfast, or in the exercise of domestic duties," as explained by Florence Hartley in her Ladies' Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness, first published in 1860. In fact, Hartley continues, stating that wrappers are "not suitable for the parlor when receiving visits of ceremony in the morning," unless an acquaintance "call[s] at an unusually early hour, or some unexpected demand upon [the lady's] time makes it impossible to changer her dress after breakfast" (27-28).
Often fastened from the top at the neckline to the waist only, the skirts of the wrapper could be worn open to reveal a decorative underskirt. As Hartley suggests, wrappers made with "handsome trimming, open over a pretty white skirt, may be worn with propriety" (28). Extant examples of this fashion from my pinterest board: 19th Century Wrappers, as well as the following period plates and manuals clearly illustrate the popular pairing:
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| Blue wrapper trimmed in brown silk The Graceful Lady: Underpinnings - Including Wrappers |
Interestingly, this next piece was advertised as an original, "wearable," "maternity wrapper," with an interior drawstring to fit the skirts at the back, while allowing for adjustments in the front to accommodate the figure. It does have "tiny pearl buttons all the way to the hem," but is shown open from the waist down over a beautifully embroidered petticoat from the same period:
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| Civil War Era Wrapper (Image via: Ebay) |
As described in Godey's, 1859: "The [wrapper] material is of plaid cashmere, silk, or poplin, the upper part fitting closely to the figure, though the trimming is continued from the open front breadths over the shoulder. It is of a broad embossed black velvet ribbon; and the same surrounds the loose wide sleeves; plaited frill of cambric about the throat; wide cambric undersleeves gathered into a band at the wrist, from which a plaiting turns back...cap of muslin and Valenciennes, with a torsade of ribbon; under-skirt of alternate tucks and embroidery."
At the height of fashion, luxury, and artistry, this hand-embroidered, cotton petticoat from the mid-19th century would have looked stunning when revealed by the open skirts of a morning wrapper worn by a lady of propriety. Measuring 38" at the center front, the fullness of the underskirt is controlled with stroked gathers and attached to a 2" deep by 23.5" wide waistband:
Five-petal flowers and climbing vines form the large, central motif and centers of each scallop along the hem:
The petticoat measures 38" at the center front, and 39.75" at the center back. The total circumference at the hem is 155":
There is no evidence of closures (buttons or hooks and eyes), aside from ties that were cut off. Also, the petticoat may have been deaccessioned from a museum as the numbers "20089/64" are written on the inside of the waistband:
Please visit the Extant Garments page if you're interested in more collection items, and feel free to leave a comment if you'd like to see more posts like this in the future - thanks for reading!
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| Morning Wrapper from Godey's Ladies' Book, 1859 Google Books: Godey's Magazine, Volumes 58-59 |
As described in Peterson's, 1863: "Breakfast dress of lilac cashmere, trimmed with quillings of ribbon and large mould buttons covered with lilac silk. The skirt is open in front, and shows a handsomely embroidered and ruffled skirt. Cap of white lace, trimmed with lace and roses."
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| Fashion Plate from Peterson's Magazine, 1863 Los Angeles Public Library |
Here are a few more extant examples of the embroidered petticoats suitable for wear under morning wrappers: All of them feature the elaborate eyelet or whitework embroidery commonly referred to as "Broderie Anglaise" during the period, which creates patterns through cut holes or "eyelets" that are overcast (or buttonhole stitched), as well as areas of satin stitched designs.
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| Embroidered Petticoat, 1860s Notice the center front panel & scalloped hem - decorated with "leaves, berry clusters, blossoms & 3 large birds" Augusta Auctions, Lot 463 |
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| White Cotton Hand Embroidered Petticoat, c.1863 Antique Dress, #7027 |
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| Petticoat, 1860-1865 Featuring "whimsical eyelet embroidery with birds, the form of which is inspired by folk embroidery, and fruit on the vine" Metropolitan Museum of Art (Accession Number: 2009.300.3177) |
Point Park Collection: Embroidered Petticoat
And now to share the mid-19th century embroidered petticoat that I came across when I was given permission to study and photograph pieces from the university's collection! (More details here: project background) The following images may be shared and saved for educational and personal reference, only, and must credit the "Point Park University Collection" - thank you!
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| A Mid-19th Century Petticoat with Broderie Anglaise Point Park University Collection |
At the height of fashion, luxury, and artistry, this hand-embroidered, cotton petticoat from the mid-19th century would have looked stunning when revealed by the open skirts of a morning wrapper worn by a lady of propriety. Measuring 38" at the center front, the fullness of the underskirt is controlled with stroked gathers and attached to a 2" deep by 23.5" wide waistband:
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| Detail of the waistband with stroked gathers, front. The waistband measures 2" wide by 23.5" long. |
Five-petal flowers and climbing vines form the large, central motif and centers of each scallop along the hem:
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| Front panel embroidery. |
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| Detail of a large flower motif and vines. |
The petticoat measures 38" at the center front, and 39.75" at the center back. The total circumference at the hem is 155":
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| Full front view, measuring 38" at CF. |
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| Full back view, measuring 39.75" at CB. |
There is no evidence of closures (buttons or hooks and eyes), aside from ties that were cut off. Also, the petticoat may have been deaccessioned from a museum as the numbers "20089/64" are written on the inside of the waistband:
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| Interior view from the back. Possibly a deaccessioned museum piece with the previous accession number at CF reading: "20089/64" |
Around the hem, the embroidery measures approximately 7" from the topmost eyelet to the bottom edge of each scallop:
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| Detail of the scalloped edge and embroidery at the hem. The total petticoat circumference measures 155". |
