Dark purple silk bodice and skirt

A matching dark purple silk bodice and skirt. The bodice and skirt are made of the same fabric, a dark purple plum silk faille twill and dark purple plum silk pattern weave with spheres. The bodice (a) has long set in sleeves, the bottom portion of the sleeves are faced with the silk pattern weave with spheres. The bottoms of the sleeves are folded upwards creating small cuffs which show the facing. A decorative narrow panel is sewn is sewn along the center front of the bodice. The center front panel, band collar, and notched collar are made of the silk pattern weave with spheres. The proper right lapel on the notched collar is detached. The backside of the notched collar is faced with brown glazed cotton twill. The bodice opens on the proper right side of the center front panel with sixteen self fabric covered metal and paper buttons. One of these buttons is missing its fabric covering and paper. These buttons align with seventeen buttonholes, one of the buttons is missing. Seventeen decorative self fabric covered metal and paper buttons are sewn along the proper left side of the center front panel. Two of these buttons are missing their fabric covering and one is missing its paper filling. Two vertical shaping darts are sewn on each side of the buttons, they are roughly nine inches long. A self fabric patch pocket is sewn along the hip on the proper left side. The inner bodice has an additional closure at the center front which closes with ten white glass buttons on the proper right side which align with fifteen buttonholes, five of the buttons are missing. A metal hook on the proper right side of the center front opening aligns with a thread eye on the other side. The bodice has a center back seam, a set of back princess seams, and two side back side seams. The tail at the center back bottom of the bodice has two points which are sewn with three pleats. The bodice is lined with light brown cotton twill. Seven pieces of metal boning are sewn along the interior seams of the bodice. Two pieces of boning are sewn along the darts on the proper right front panel, one on the inner dart on the proper left front panel, one on the proper left side seam, one at the center back seam, and one at each side back seam. The boning on the back and side seam of the bodice are encased with cotton twill. The bodice is unlabeled and mostly handsewn.

The matching full-length skirt (b) has a brown cotton waistband. Two panels of dark purple plum silk pattern weave with spheres are sewn and draped below the waistband. The are asymmetrically placed along the top of the skirt. Brown cotton is sewn below the draped panels. The bottom two thirds of the skirt are made of four bands of pleated silk faille twill. The first and third tiers of the pleats are made of wide double box pleats. The second and last tier of pleats are made of accordion pleats. Linen gauze is sewn below the first and third pleated tiers. The bottom three tiers of the pleats continue onto the backside of the skirt. A pleated and gathered panel of dark purple silk faille twill is sewn below the center back of the waistband and ends slightly above the bottom pleated tier. A cotton twill band is sewn to the top of the pleated panel. The panel has a center back seam and a one and a half inch wide double fold hem. The selvage of the fabric is seen on the interior center back seam of the draped panel. An orange hem protector is machine sewn to the bottom of the skirt. A seven and a half inch wide linen gauze panel is machine and hand sewn to the bottom interior of the skirt. The skirt is lined with brown cotton and opens in the center back with a nine and a half inch long placket. None of the original fasteners remain. A cotton twill string is sewn to the edge of the waistband on the proper left side. A length of cotton twill is sewn to the inside of the skirt to bustle it on the interior proper left side. Four cotton twill loops are sewn on the back interior of the skirt. These ties are possibly not original. The skirt is hand and machine sewn and unlabeled.

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This page was imported from Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Released by the Smithsonian Institution under CC0 through Smithsonian Open Access.

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