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Spitalfields Dress Silk B
1760s

I have several lengths of this beautiful and typical Spitalfields woven silk dress brocade of the 1750s. The silk was probably designed by Anna Maria Garthwaite(1690-1763), but unless one can actually find an identical design, one cannot say for sure. By the time this silk was designed, A-M would be in her 60s? Did she carry on working? Here I show length B. 

From the collection of the late Mrs June Jeffreys (1928 – 2016) who married George William Eyre Jeffreys (1931 - 2019) in 1960. The house Newhouse, Redlynch, near Salisbury, Wiltshire, has been in the family for 400 years and many of the dress collection was inherited through Mr Jeffrey’s family.

Cataloguing

The ivory ground woven with small sprays of pink flowers shded in two different colourways, a background of self coloured brocade with satin stripes, coloured and self coloured flowers and leaf meanders.

40 x 19 in; 1m x 48 cm.

Condition

B - This length is in the best condition.  One tiny 1/4 in; 50mm slit to the left hand side 9 in; 23 cm  from top. There is a slightly marked fold line near the hem of the skirt 6 1/2 in; 16 cm from the bottom.

There is an original join 6 1/2 in; 16 cm down from the top. Often 18th century gowns were pieced in this way. The fabric was expnsive and very precious and every available piece would have been used. This would not have shown under the top.

Comments

This one has a similar sprig and stripe:

collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O78727/dress-fabric-anna-maria-garthwaite/

collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O92739/design-garthwaite-anna-maria/