Girl's Dress

c.1885

United States

This is an example of a very typical girl's party dress for the period. Alternating stripes of sheer material was a prominent configuration at the time for both women's and girl's dresses. It is obvious that this dress was made with a great deal of detail and thought, which can be seen in the double ruffles of the underdress sleeves as well as the overdress sleeves, and the multiple ruffles of the skirt and the underskirt. The low bustle effect in back is appropriate for a young girl, and the long-waisted silhouette was typical of the time. The interior ties of the skirt create more of a bustle effect.

The MET (Accession Number: 2009.300.3208a, b)

Girl's Dress

1885-1890

Paris, France

The MET (Accession Number: 2009.300.993)

Girl's Dress

c.1885

United States

The MET (Accession Number: 2009.300.2489a, b

Girl's Coat

1882

Amelia Beard Hollenback (1877-1969) was the daughter of the prominent financier and philanthropist John Welles Hollenback (1835-1927). The members of the Hollenback family were avid travelers, making frequently trips throughout Europe and the United States. This chic coat, charmingly fashioned from a man's frock coat style, was made for Amelia in winter 1882 during a trip in Paris. The incised buttons and bound buttonholes are a particularly Parisian touch.

The MET

Skirt Suit

Rahvis (London, England)

1948

Victoria & Albert Museum (Accession number: T.486:1, 2-1996)

Dress

Gilbert Adrian (Los Angeles, California)

c.1947

LACMA (Accession Number: 56.14.3a-b)

Utility Dress

1940s

Even in wartime there was still time for dinner, dancing and other special occasions; time for the 1940s woman to get dressed up and go out on the town. This elegant dress is dusky pink and made from polyester with sequins and embroidered flower details. It was worn in the daytime, or in the evening with a jacket or coat, and a hat. This dress is simple and plain in design, with a round neck, slightly gathered waist and a calf-length skirt. This dress is called a Utility Dress because it was made under the Utility Scheme. This scheme was introduced in 1941 when the British Government rationed clothes. Since there was less fabric available, clothes had to be simpler and plainer in design. The government provided clothes patterns to tailors and factories to make clothes that followed their rules. The rules limited the amount of fabric that could be used, along with a limit on the number of buttons, pleats and pockets. Inside the dress is the label 'CC41' which stands for Civilian Clothing 1941. This shows that the dress was from a government-approved pattern in 1941. The government involved famous fashion designers to make the Utility designs popular. Hardy Amies and Norman Hartnell were among those 1940s designers who created streamlined and stylish dresses with the CC41 Utility Mark. This dress was worth 7 clothing coupons in wartime. (A coat was worth 14, while a pair of socks was 1 coupon.) In 1941, each person had 66 coupons for the year.

Islington Education Library Service

Dress & Jacket

c.1940

United States

Indianapolis Museum of Art (Accession Number: S0896.75.167A-B)

Any update on the pin?

Oh I'm sorry! I actually followed up on that privately. Unfortunately it's not the most exciting but let's talk about some of the basics about dating items here. There's some more jewelry specific info if you click this link.

So this is our very cute brooch! First off, we're in a super good starting point. We have a legible & clear makers mark! A quick google search reveals a lovely site called The Potteries, which is a list and some history on potters in the Stroke-on-Trent area. Unfortunately, the information on Cara China is scant. Here's the highlights:

The Cara China Co: Longton. Founded 1945

Cara China made fine bone china ornaments, broaches, earrings. Examples include garden benches with flowers winding around, all hand painted. In 1971, they had a visit from the Ambassador of Tunisia, Ismeal Kamel, and his American wife, who, although expected to make a short visit, stayed much longer.  His wife was very interested in English ceramics.

And we've hit a wall. If I wanted to get more information, I would either reach out to the local library to look at newspapers or perhaps email the owner of The Potteries. (Or if I was a local, chat up the grannies to see if they knew who I could talk to)

While the internet has made dating items immensely easier, there's still a lot of hitting the books you have to do. Fashion plates, comparing to other garments, going through family history/letters if able, etc. I find it to be a very interesting task. I would personally place it on the earlier side of our time frame because of the similarities to something like this vs something like this. But at the end of the day, sometimes you're not going to be able to narrow it down more than 1940s-1970s.

Pantsuit

Gaby Bernier (Montreal, Canada)

c.1942

McCord Museum

Hello,I was curious to know where you'd gotten the images from the Portuguese Museu do Traje - I tried their matrizpix - and only provided were smallish images. All the best.

I believe I got them through Google Arts & Culture! Definitely don't use an extension like dezoomify or play around with inspect/view page source to get past some of the BS

Evening Boots

1885-1890

Probably French

While the slipper and the strapped shoe were the most common choice for evening wear in the last third of the 19th century, boots did occasionally continue to appear. As with shoes, the basic evening boot was satin, either plain or featuring an embroidered vamp, usually in floral or foliate designs. Surviving examples of evening boots of the late 19th and early 20th centuries suggest, however, that those daring to wear something already outside of the ordinary often opted as well for unconventionally bold and unusual materials and trimmings. This pair of boots typifies that phenomenon: anachronistic side-lacing, novel and atypically exuberant fret and scroll motifs, and embroidery covering the entire boot, including the heel.

The MET (Accession Number: 2009.300.1477a–d)

Boots

1865-1875

United States

The prevailing fashion for long skirts in the 19th century and the general importance of feminine propriety encouraged rather limited decoration of contemporary ladies' footwear. While ornate bows and embroidered vamps are relatively common on evening shoes, heavy soled walking shoes , like this pair of button boots, were seldom ornamented with anything more than a simple bow or buckle. By consequence, the presence here of an elaborate machine-embroidered design covering the entire upper is of particular interest. The beaded cordwork was applied over the embroidery, presumably by the wearer, to increase the decorative program even further, perhaps for a special event for which it was not possible to purchase shoes specifically.

The MET (Accession Number: 2009.300.1424a, b)

Boots

c.1889

New York, New York

LACMA (Accession Number: M.67.8.138a-b)

Boots

c.1889

France

LACMA (Accession Number: 37.42.1a-b)

Boots

1880s

Italian

The MET (Accession Number: C.I.42.24.4)

I just got a pin at a yard sale and I think it is old. Could I send in a picture to see if you know anything? All I know it is Bone China and also from England.

Sure! I'm not the best with dating jewelry but I could give it a shot.