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Spitalfields Ruffles
1740's

Delicious. Very pretty colours. I have had ruffles before but never with a elbow section of the dress.

There is also a length of the same silk in this section.

My thanks to Clare Brown in the V & A Textiles Department for providing this information. Tobine indicates (in 18th c English usage ) that as well as the brocading it has a pattern effect created by a supplementary warp, as distinct from a supplementary weft, which is making the little self-coloured sprigs.

There is a similar piece in the V & A collection, T.158-1963, currently in store. It's illustrated as plate 80 in the paperback Woven Textile Design in Britain to 1750 by Natalie Rothstein in the V&A Textiles series.(out of print).

Cataloguing

and part lower sleeve of brocaded tobine, the pale eau de nil ground woven on a drawloom with a fine ribbed effect, the centre with a wider ribbed band flanked by double bands either side, the ground woven with self coloured small leaves, brocaded with colourful vermillion, coral, yellow, apricot, blue and puce flower sprays and with odd tulips, the double ribs with a trailing bud meander, the two ruffles gathered tightly at the top and trimmed with tufted silk flowers, the lower part shaped with similar trim, and one short shaped sleeve similarly trimmed.

Condition

Very good. The silk is quite substantial. The top ruff is very slightly discoloured.