Fashion Dolls - Fashion Icons of the 18th Century by Cecilie Nachman

EXHIBITION PROPOSAL

– FASHION DOL LS – Fashion Icons of the 18th Century – Cecilie Stöger Nachman

Opposite: EXHIBITION POSTER

1 December 2012 - 24 February 2013

FASHION DOLLS Fashion Icons of the 18th Century FR EE EN TRY

www.ealing.gov.uk/pmgallery&house Tel 02085671227

Pitzhanger Manor-House Mattock Lane W5 5EQ Ealing Broadway

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EXHIBITION HANDOUT (front + back) To be printed on both sides of an A4 in b/w

FASHION DOLLS Fashion Icons of the 18th Century

The 18th century fashion dolls have always been shrouded in mystery. Even in their own age, some people did not believe in their existence. However, if you decide to recognize them as true and are ready to get carried along, they will tell you a vivid story about the history, culture and economy of the 18th century – an era famous for its creativity, luxury and extreme decadence like no other. The wooden dolls, also called Pandoras, were the earliest method of illustrating current fashion in full and copy-able detail at an international marketplace long before the glossy fashion magazines of today. For the first time in history, fashions changed dramatically, and it became all-important to follow the fashions slavishly. As even wealthy women were fairly restricted in their daily life and were unable to travel freely, fashions were transmitted via dolls sent from Paris to courts all over Europe. Every fashionable detail was reproduced in miniature; gowns, shoes, hats, jewellery and hairstyles. The dolls could be copied by the court dressmakers, and were later on displayed in windows of fashionable shops for ladies to be examined in detail. Although the most fashionable dolls originated from France, fashion dolls were later also produced and shipped from England. What began as an elegant extravagance was systemized and organized during the 18th century and developed into an effective advertising medium, eventually serving a newly established English mass market in the last part of the century. The rather few fashion dolls that survived into the 21st century are unique costume documents as well as precious cultural heritage objects. Not only do the dolls provide us with information about historical dress and appearance, the fashion dolls can also be seen as an aspect of the Enlightenment Period and as symbols of a modern age. The dolls can tell us about the earliest forms of fashion consumption and of successful sales promotion, about an emerging construction of fashionable identity, and they can even be linked to the fashion models we see on the covers of fashion magazines today. Staged in the Georgian-style ‘George Dance wing’ from 1768, this exhibition is not just about conveying the multifaceted role of the 18th century fashion dolls. The exhibition is also an intriguing installation, playing on the difference in scale between doll and human and the meeting between the past and the present. 300 years ago the fashion dolls dazzled their 18th century spectators, now they are ready to dazzle and captivate a 21st century audience!

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Object list SECTION 1

1 — Female doll Object No.: MISC.264-1978 Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood

2 — Lady Clapham Object No.: T.846-1974 Victoria & Albert Museum

3 — Lord Clapham Object No.: T.847-1974 Victoria & Albert Museum

1.1 — Woman’s pannier Object No.: M.2007.211.981 Los Angeles County Museum of Art

2.1 — Mantua Object No.: 33.54a, b The Metropolitan Museum of Art

3.1 — Formal suit Object No.: T.327&A-1982 Victoria & Albert Museum

4 — Female doll Object No.: 1955.21 Manchester Art Gallery

5 — The Queen of Denmark Object No.: 27.76 Museum of London

6 — Female doll Object No.: Acc. No. 1966-169 Colonial Williamsburg Museum

4.1 — English-style gown Object No.: C.I.37.66a, b The Metropolitan Museum of Art

5.1 — French-style gown Object No.: 1996.374a–c The Metropolitan Museum of Art

6.1 — Polish-style gown Object No.: 1996.301a–e The Metropolitan Museum of Art

7 — Female doll Object No.: AC1774 78-41-178 Kyoto Costume Institute

8 — Female doll Object No.: T.19-1936 Victoria & Albert Museum

9 — Female doll Object No.: BK-NM-3396 Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

7.1 — Mantua Object No.: T.324&A-1985 Victoria & Albert Museum

8.1 — French-style gown Object No.: Acc. No. 1993-330 Colonial Williamsburg Museum

9.1 — French-style gown Object No.: AC7621 92-34-2AB Kyoto Costume Institute

10 — Female doll Object No.: T.90 to V-1980 Victoria & Albert Museum

11 — Male doll Object No.: 43.1769 Museum of Fine Arts Boston

10.1 — French-style gown Object No.: T.77 to B-1959 Victoria & Albert Museum

11.1 — Waistcoat Object No.: 43.127.2 Museum of London

12 — Female doll Object No.: 1970.187.2B/ TOY.302 The Bowes Museum

SECTION 2

SECTION 3

SECTION 4

THE OLD DRAWING ROOM (FIRST FLOOR)

13 — Doll’s formal mantua Object No.: FMB 329169 (Images available from Bridgeman Art Library) Fashion Museum Bath

13.1 —Formal mantua Object No.: 83.531 Museum of London

12.1 — French-style gown Object No.: C.I.61.13.1a, b The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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VENUE Pitzhanger Manor-House, Ealing, West London

View of Pitzhanger Manor-House and PM Gallery. The exhibition will be staged in the two-storey extension from 1768, the ‘George Dance Wing’, seen left in the picture.

The main exhibition will take place in the approx. 125 m2 old ‘Eating Room’ on the ground floor (shown left). The approx. 63 m2 old ‘Drawing Room’ on the first floor (shown right) will contain an interactive workshop. Both rooms are designed in typical Georgian style.

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TERRACE

EATING ROOM EXTENSION

STORE

DRAWING ROOM

LIBRARY

LOBBY

EATING ROOM

HULL - GRUNDY MARTINWARE COLLECTION

VESTIBULE

PORCH DISBALED LIFT

BREAKFAST ROOM

LOBBY/ DISPLAY

ENTRANCE

GROUND FLOOR

BED CHAMBER

DISPLAY ROOM 1 OFFICE

UPPER GEORGE DANCE ROOM UPPER VESTIBULE

OFFICE DISPLAY ROOM 2

DISBALED LIFT

STORE

FIRST FLOOR

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FLOOR PLAN 1:50 The old Eating Room

BENCH

S E C T ION 2

S T O RY L I N E 1

6 .1

5.1

4 .1

4 S T O RY L I N E 2

S T O RY L I N E 2

7.1

S T O RY L I N E 1

S E C T ION 3

BENCH

8 .1

9.1

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E N T R A NC E

BENCH

S E C T ION 1

S T O RY L I N E 1

3.1

2 .1

1.1

1 S T O RY L I N E 2

S T O RY L I N E 2

10.1

S T O RY L I N E 1

S E C T ION 4

BENCH

11.1

12 .1

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VISUALISATIONS OF THE EXHIBITION

Overview

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View towards the entrance

View towards the garden

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VISUALISATIONS OF A SECTION

Catwalk view (storyline 1)

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Ground floor view (storyline 2)

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TEXT PANEL - SECTION 1 Storyline 1 Shown in 1/3 of actual size

THREE-PIECE The 18th century was all about a desire for novelty, and for the first time fashions changed with dramatic speed. However, the three-piece suit for men and the three-piece ensemble, consisting of dress, petticoat and stomacher, for women remained the same from the early to late 18 century, with only minor and gradual changes in cut and construction. The correct shape was the all-important fashionable attribute in the 18th century and width, not height, was emphasised. The female silhouette changed frequently – the most iconic shape being that of the rectangularly panniered, conically corseted court dress popular in the mid-18th century. The male silhouette did not change as frequent and dramatic, but menswear was far from dull in the 18th century. Right up to the French Revolution, men dressed as colourfully and ornately as women.

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1 – 1.1 FALSE HIPS Hoops, or panniers, came into fashion around 1710 and were widely worn until the 1780s. In the beginning the hoops provided a dome-shaped structure to the skirt. As the shape evolved, flattening at the back and front, the hoops took on the form of a fan spreading out from either side of the wearer. The fan-shaped hoops gradually became flatter and more horizontal in emphasis, resulting in oblong hoops. Another, more practical style of hoops consisted of two separate bag-like structures attached to a waistband and tied about the waist like a set of panniers. In England, these were referred to as ‘false hips’. 2 - 2.1 EVOLUTION OF THE MANTUA The mantua was a loosely draped style of gown with a coatlike construction and sleeves cut in one piece with the back and front. The mantua was pleated at the shoulders and fell to the waist, where it was held in place by a sash. From there it was folded back into a bustle shape and worn over a matching petticoat. As the style evolved, the pleats at the front were reduced in number and the bodice was opened, revealing a triangular stomacher. Originally an informal style, and banned for its informality from the French court by Louis XIV, the mantua gradually became acceptable as formal dress and remained a popular choice for court dress in England until the mid-18th century. Its popularity was such that dressmakers were referred to as mantua-makers. 3 - 3.1 EVOLUTION OF THE THREE-PIECE SUIT The three-piece suit emerged in the late 17th century and quickly established itself as a male uniform for the ages. Originally the suit consisted of a coat, long-sleeved waistcoat, and breeches. By the 1740’s, however, sleeveless waistcoats were more common. In the mid-18th century, the fronts of men’s coats began to expose the highly decorative waistcoat. As the 18th century progressed, the sleeves and skirts of coats became narrower, waistcoats shorter and breeches tighter, creating a streamlined male silhouette.

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OBJECTS - SECTION 1

All dolls will be displayed in acrylic display cases with integrated lighting measuring 60x60x70 cm All garments will be photographed on a Siegel and Stockman ‘wooden drawing style’ mannequin on a grey backdrop

Female doll made of turned, carved and jointed wood, gesso and painted with glass eyes and human hair. England, 1700-1720 Height: 48.3 cm Object No.: MISC.264-1978 Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood This doll has the extreme shape of fashionable women’s dress of the period, as though she was already wearing a corset and hooped petticoat.

1.1

Woman’s pannier (hoop petticoat) England, c.1750 Object No.: M.2007.211.981 Los Angeles County Museum of Art Linen plain weave and cane.

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Lady Clapham: Female doll made of turned, carved and jointed wood, gesso and painted with glass eyes and human hair. London, 1690-1700 Height: 56 cm Object No.: T.846-1974 Victoria & Albert Museum Lady Clapham wears a mantua of Chinese silk over stays, with an under-wired cap and high-heeled shoes.

2.1

Mantua England, late 17th Century Object No.: 33.54a, b The Metropolitan Museum of Art Wool and metal thread.

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OBJECTS - SECTION 1

Lord Clapham: Male doll made of turned, carved and jointed wood, gesso and painted with glass eyes and human hair. London, 1690-1700 Height: 56 cm Object No.: T.847-1974 Victoria & Albert Museum Lord Clapham’s coat, waistcoat and close-fitting breeches demonstrate the newly fashionable three-piece suit. At this period the suit was not expected to match. The neck-cloth is worn in fashionable, military style.

3.1

Formal suit England, 1700-1705 Object No.: T.327&A-1982 Victoria & Albert Museum Wool, faced with silk twill, lined with cotton twill and embroidered with silver thread.

TEXT PANEL - SECTION 1 Storyline 2 To be printed in 120x60 cm

The fashion dolls are breathtakingly detailed in their replication of the contemporary fashions, and as material culture objects they are therefore extremely instructive on the fashions of the time. Male dress of any era generally survives to a lesser extent than female dress. The best-preserved 18th century male dolls can therefore operate as documentation of complete outfits with underlinen and neckwear intact; something that isolated full-scale garments, pieces and fragments can never match. The fashion dolls are also particularly instructive on essential habits of fashionable accessories with miniature headwear, jewellery, mittens, fichus and cuffs accompanying their garments. Therefore, it is of tremendous importance to preserve these old and fragile fashion dolls in museum stores to avoid unnecessary deterioration. This is not only of interest to students of historical dress, but to everybody fascinated by the vivid tale of the history, culture and economy of the 18th century.

The 18th century fashion dolls are considered as important, even unique, costume documents of their period.

HERITAGE OBJECT

The Fashion Doll As

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TEXT PANEL - SECTION 2 Storyline 1 Shown in 1/3 of actual size

GOWNS In contrast to the suit for men, women’s dress was far more varied and complex in the 18th century, as in the modern period generally. However, between 1720 and 1780 the robe à l’ànglaise (English-style gown) and the robe à la Française (French-style gown) were the two dominating styles of fashionable dress to be worn throughout Europe. From the 1770s, the robe à la Polonaise (Polish-style gown) became popular as well, before the simplicity of the neoclassical style definitely took over in the end of the century.

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4 - 4.1 ROBE À L’ÀNGLAISE The English-style gown was rather conservative in its decoration, usually constructed of plain satin or silk in a muted colour and with a minimal print. The characteristics of this gown are its tight fitted and closed bodice, long full skirt, and several box pleats that are stitched flat to the back of the bodice. 5 - 5.1 ROBE À LA FRANÇAISE Also known as a Watteau, sack-back gown, or robe Volante, this French-style gown was originally worn as a form of ‘undress’ and neither the back nor the front of the bodice was fitted, but rather loose. The remarkable characteristic of this gown are the highly structured box pleats, which are attached to the neck of the bodice and flow delicately down the back of the gown into a short train. This style was often decorated lavishly, and wearing a robe à la Française was the sign of a certain social status, as putting one on required the help of a servant. 6 - 6.1 ROBE À LA POLONAISE The polonaise gown first came into fashion in the 1770s. The design of the Polish-style gown was an imitation of the peasant women, whose skirts were hiked above their ankles with ties while working. It was a style of gown with a close-fitting bodice and the back of the skirt gathered up into three separate puffed sections to reveal the petticoat below.

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OBJECTS - SECTION 2

Female doll made of turned, carved and jointed wood, gesso and painted with glass eyes and human hair. England, 1740-1760 Height: 54 cm Object No.: 1955.21 Manchester Art Gallery The doll is wearing an English-style gown made of pink silk.

4.1

English-style gown Origin unknown, c.1750 Object No.: C.I.37.66a, b The Metropolitan Museum of Art Pink silk with small flowers embroidered all over.

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The Queen of Denmark: Female doll made of turned, carved and jointed wood, gesso and painted with glass eyes and human hair. England, 1756-1760 Height: 55 cm Object No.: 27.76 Museum of London The doll is wearing a French-style gown made of striped silk taffeta (NB: earring and locket of later date).

5.1

French-style gown England, c.1760 Object No.: 1996.374a–c The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bright canary yellow silk with monochrome trimmings.

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OBJECTS - SECTION 2

Female doll made of turned, carved and jointed wood, gesso and painted with glass eyes and human hair. England, 1770-1775 Height: 56 cm Object No.: 1966-169 Colonial Williamsburg Museum The doll is wearing a Polish-style gown made of pale blue ribbed silk moiré. The gown is trimmed with various flounces and ruffles.

6.1

Polish-style gown England, c.1780 Object No.: 1996.301a–e The Metropolitan Museum of Art Pale blue silk with monochrome pleats at the end of the sleeves.

TEXT PANEL - SECTION 2 Storyline 2 To be printed in 120x60 cm

The 18th century fashion dolls were made as beauty ideals of their time. Desired features, such as broad hips, a narrow waist, pale skin, a long swanlike neck and black hair, are evident in the dolls, just as the features are evident in paintings of the era. The fashion dolls were unique, made by individual wood turners and chosen on a selective basis by their new owners. The fashion dolls being close in scale to the viewer’s body would assumedly give rise to a mimetic cross-identification between woman and doll. In written accounts of the fashion dolls they are often described in a rather personified way, which indicates a certain intimacy between woman and doll, and a somewhat charged encounter between what is natural or artificial, original or copy, human or inhuman.

The increasing culture of consumption that took place in the 18th century, lead to a rise in female vanity and a longing for the ideal femininity. The fashion dolls formed part of this rising construction of a fashionable identity.

BEAUTY IDEAL

The Fashion Doll As

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TEXT PANEL - SECTION 3 Storyline 1 Shown in 1/3 of actual size

TEXTILES In 18th century high fashion, textiles and clothing were two distinct industries. A costumer would buy a length of fabric from a mercer, and then take it to a tailor or mantua-maker to have it sewn into a garment. The textile would cost much more than the tailoring, for textiles represented a significant investment of time, labour, and resources. Patterns and textures were applied to textiles through weaving, heating, glazing, painting, pressing or printing with blocks or rollers, and natural dyes played a transformative role in the manufacturing process. Textiles for clothing used four principal plant and animal fibres: wool, silk, cotton and linen. Through careful manipulation and blending of these fibres, manufacturers could produce hundreds of distinct textiles; from woollens so dense that they were waterproof to transparent gauzes. From the middle of the 18th century textiles with printed patterns grew increasingly popular, many of these were imported from the East.

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7 - 7.1 BROCADE SILK Of the woven silks, the brocades were the most expensive and showed the greatest variety of pattern and colour. From the first years of the 18th century, the floral patterns were extremely fashionable. They were either characterised by heavy, rather ornate baroque, forms with silver or gold thread, or a more delicate and naturalistic depiction of flowers and foliage. Flowers in full bloom and gargantuan fruit could be woven into huge repeats. 8 - 8.1 PRINTED COTTON A small-scale flower and leaves print was popular on calicos in the 1760s and 1770s. Typical of the rococo aesthetic, this motive was quite different from the patterns of opulent, full-blown, decorated blossoms and foliage characteristic of those created in the first part of the 18th century. 9 - 9.1 PAINTED CHINTZ Chintzes were imported from India and were extremely fashionable. They became popular due to their bright and saturated, as well as permanent and washable, colours. The early chintzes were primarily produced by painting techniques, whereas the later chintzes had hues applied by means of wooden blocks.

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OBJECTS - SECTION 3

Female doll made of turned, carved and jointed wood, gesso and painted with glass eyes and human hair. England, early 18th century Height: 55 cm Object No.: AC1774 78-41-178 Kyoto Costume Institute The doll is wearing a gown of white silk brocade with a plant motive in various colours.

7.1

Mantua England, c.1735 Object No.: T.324&A-1985 Victoria & Albert Museum Silk intricately brocaded in a pattern of large, realistically rendered flowers and leaves.

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Female doll made of carved wooden, gesso, paint and with glass eyes and human hair. England, c.1760 Height: 52 cm Object No.: T.19-1936 Victoria & Albert Museum The doll is wearing a French-style gown made of white cotton with a printed design of trailing tendrils with pink and blue flowerets and olive-brown leaves.

8.1

French-style gown France, 1755-1770 Object No.: 1993-330 Colonial Williamsburg Museum Ivory fabric with a scrolling floral and leaf design in greens, pinks, blues and orange.

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OBJECTS - SECTION 3

Female doll made of turned, carved and jointed wood, gesso and painted with glass eyes and human hair. Possibly French, c.1760 Height: 66 cm Object No.: BK-NM-3396 Rijksmuseum Amsterdam The doll is wearing a French-style gown made of chintz with a painted floral motif.

9.1

French-style gown France, c.1770 Object No.: AC7621 92-34-2AB Kyoto Costume Institute White chintz with blue plant motif.

TEXT PANEL - SECTION 3 Storyline 2 To be printed in 120x60 cm

A consumer revolution took place in 18th century England. It was a multi-causal phenomenon, and many of the causes were shared by the twin industrial and commercial developments. The consumer revolution meant that more men and women than ever before in human history enjoyed the experience of acquiring material possessions. What were once bought at the dictate of need, were now bought at the dictate of fashion. And where a fashion once lasted a lifetime, it now barely lasted a year. The desire to consume was not a particular 18th century novelty, but the ability to do so was new. The fashion doll became a persuasive commercial propaganda, vital for the growing fashion industry. In the beginning of the 18th century, the wooden fashion dolls were sent from Paris to the various small courts of Europe. The dolls were expensive, exclusive and served only an élite. As the 18th century progressed, London established itself as a fashion capital, and English fashion dolls were increasingly produced. In the end of the century entrepreneurs had taken over the fashion doll and committed it to service of commerce. Its role was now the manipulation and extension of consumer demand, and eventually the English fashion doll served a newly established mass market.

The commercialization of fashion in 18th century England can be encapsulated in the history of the fashion doll.

MARKETING TOOL

The Fashion Doll As

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TEXT PANEL - SECTION 4 Storyline 1 Shown in 1/3 of actual size

TRIMMINGS Trimmings and accessories were pinned, tied or basted onto the rather basic garments. The trimmings determined whether or not a person was in style, and often they were even more costly than the textiles they adorned. An elaborately embroidered gold border on a man’s formal suit would usually cost much more than the materials and labour required to tailor the suit itself. Like expensive jewellery, the elaborate trimmings indicated wealth and social position. Preciousmetal trimmings were in particular reserved for only an élite, being literally worth their weight in silver and gold. In spite of this extreme luxury, the disparate trim techniques found on fashionable dress can all be unified by two humble objects; needle and thread – the tools necessary for the extraordinary embroidery, quilting, beading and lacework of the period.

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10 - 10.1 ROCOCO After the middle of the century vivid contrasts of colour lost their appeal and matching decorations of threedimensional character were preferred. Pleating, padding and pinking were combined in a number of simple, yet ingenious, ways to give the impression of a collage, typical of the Rococo style. 11 - 11.1 WAISTCOAT The waistcoat was the most elaborately decorated garment for men. Especially in the late 18th century, costly embroidered waistcoats became fashionable when the suit narrowed and the coat curved to reveal more of them. 12 - 12.1 STOMACHER Stomachers often served as decorative focal points for women’s gowns, especially those created for formal or courtly occasions. Precious jewels, such as pearls, occasionally embellished the most exquisite stomachers. It was also common to attach jewelled brooches onto the already elaborately decorated stomachers, creating a layered effect of riches upon riches.

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OBJECTS - SECTION 4

Female doll made of turned, carved and jointed wood, gesso and painted with glass eyes and human hair. England, 1755-1760 Height: 60 cm Object No.: T.90 to V-1980 Victoria & Albert Museum The doll is wearing a French-style gown made of brown silk with double frilled sleeves. The gown is decorated with a zig-zag pattern of silver braid, multicoloured floss silk braid and floral motifs, the borders have a stamped scalloped edge.

10.1

French-style gown England, c.1760 Object No.: T.77 to B-1959 Victoria & Albert Museum Yellow silk with trimmings in the same fabric. The decorations in curves and loops show Rococo influence.

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Male doll made of turned, carved and jointed wood, gesso and painted with glass eyes and human hair. England, 1730-1740 Height: 43,2 cm Object No.: 43.1769 Museum of Fine Arts Boston The doll is dressed in a red wool coat and blue silk waistcoat and breeches embroidered with silver thread.

11.1

Waistcoat England, 1720-1740 Object No.: 43.127.2 Museum of London Dark green silk, costly embroidered with silver thread in a flowers and leaves motif.

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OBJECTS - SECTION 4

Female doll made of turned, carved and jointed wood, gesso and painted with glass eyes and human hair. England, c.1775 Height: 54 cm Object No.: 1970.187.2B/TOY.302 The Bowes Museum The doll is wearing a French-style gown made of striped silk and a richly decorated stomacher.

12.1

French-style gown France, c.1775 Object No.: C.I.61.13.1a, b The Metropolitan Museum of Art Silk decorated with self-fabric embellishments and fly fringe trim.

TEXT PANEL - SECTION 4 Storyline 2 To be printed in 120x60 cm

The fashion dolls were the earliest method of illustrating current fashion in full and copy-able detail at an international marketplace long before the glossy fashion magazines of today. In the beginning of the 18th century women lived fairly restricted lives and there were not yet regularly produced fashion magazines. The fashion dolls, however, could travel freely around the world in the name of fashion, giving accurate reports of the latest cut or trimming. The fashion dolls became a vital method for textile mercers, tailors and mantua-makers to demonstrate their skills on a body. However, from the 1770s fashion plates appeared regularly in the Lady’s Magazine, and in 1790 the fashionable English paper doll was invented. The wooden fashion dolls went out of fashion themselves, but were replaced in the 19th century by life-size wooden or wicker mannequins kept in the dressmakers’ premises. These gave their name to the living mannequins, or models, who from the second half of the century gradually replaced them. Nearly 100 years after the first models appeared, the super models emerged. These super models are fashion- idols and icons of today, just as the fashion dolls were of their time.

The wooden fashion dolls of the 18th century can be seen as early forerunners of the living, super models of today.

FASHION MODEL

The Fashion Doll As

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FLOOR PLAN 1:50 The old Drawing Room

13.1

L IG H T TA B L E S S T U DY S PAC E

E N T R A NC E

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OBJECTS - FIRST FLOOR

Both mantuas to be displayed on invisible mannequins in acrylic display cases

13.1

Fashion doll’s formal mantua. England, c.1760 The height of doll to wear this dress: 62 cm Object No.: FMB 329169 (Images available from Bridgeman Art Library) Fashion Museum Bath The formal court gown was an unbelievable outfit compromising a skirt over huge panniers, a bodice with a wide neckline, and a train that could be several meters long. This doll’s mantua is a perfect replica in miniature of the style of dress worn at the English court during the reign of King George II and III.

SELECTION OF SLIDES To be displayed on light tables

Formal mantua England, c.1752 Object No.: 83.531 Museum of London Spitalfields silk intricately brocaded in a pattern of at least 14 different colours and 4 different types of silver thread, which reflected the light in different ways and would have sparkled beautifully in candlelight. This mantua is from the 1750s where the skirts were at their widest.