Dress, petticoat

An 18th century petticoat or dress of coarse red wools. The petticoat has no further provenance information and was found in an attic in Devon. The solidly constructed, coarse clothing worn by most people outside urban areas rarely survives as the textiles are used up in a variety of ways until they disintegrate completely. The bodice section is sleeveless with quite a high waist, and a red wool skirt attached to it. The whole piece is patched and worn.

Red skirt fabric - Width to selvedge - 661 mm; 26 inches. White woollen warp, red wool weft faced weave, napped and heavily worn. Seams stitched with linen thread. The central front section of the skirt has a linen panel, which has been pleated irregularly into the waist by eye. The opening fastens over with a hook. There are linen pockets in the side of the panel, stitched with very coarse linen thread. The pleats are reinforced with two strips of folded blue and white woven yarn-dyed check linen, whip stitched on to each pleat. The linen is so soft and worn it feels like cotton.

The skirt is cartridge pleated onto the bodice, which is made of a weft-faced sateen with a black, cream and beige print, possibly a fustian. Fabric has a linen warp, cotton or linen weft, lined in linen. The straps are made in two sections and are tacked onto the front. The central lacing section is reinforced with whalebone and has 5 evenly-spaced eyelets down the front whipped round with brown waxed linen thread. They are heavily strained and worn.