Dress
PeriodCirca 1893
Place MadePossibly New York, New York, U.S.A.
MediumCorded silk, cotton velvet, muslin, glazed cotton, lace
Dimensions51.5 in. (130.8 cm)
ClassificationsCostume, Women's
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Harold McDermott, 1935
Object number764
DescriptionThis two piece gown consists of skirt and bodice, both in rose pink corded silk. The bodice includes a hidden front fastening along the proper left edge of the bodice front. Front and back yoke are inset panels of dark rose pink cotton velvet. The gown includes the extremely large "gigot" sleeves, trimmed with rosettes of velvet and corded silk, tapering to closely fitted forearms. The bodice also includes bold trimmings of silk and velvet twisted bandings with numerous rosettes of matching fabric. The high collar is edged with narrow white lace. The separate skirt is lined with glazed cotton and an addition interlining, possibly of wool flannel or other soft material. The inside of the skirt is also supported with the addition of three rows of starched ruffles and lace to maintain the gown's silhouette. The skirt fastens at the left front hip with hidden hooks and eyes. Trimmings of silk and velvet bandings are applied down the left front of the skirt. The bodice and sleeves are lined with tan glazed cotton. The bodice includes 14 boning channels sewing inside to maintain shape.Curatorial RemarksSarah Bleakley Conover's rose pink gown is a marvel of late 19th century extreme style and sophisticated dressmaking techniques. The "gigot" sleeve, with its exaggerated upper arm section contrasting the closely fitted forearms was popular at several times during the 19th century. In the early 1890s, the gigot sleeve made a reappearance, the ballooning fabric an easy target for fashion critics. Conover's gown can be dated to almost a specific year - 1893 - due to the sleeve silhouette alone. The gown also features a complicated fastening arrangement, with numerous hooks and eyes along the left front bodice edge, neckline, waistband, and down the skirt opening as well. The trimmings - bold contrasting twists of silk and velvet - are liberally decorated with bows and rosettes of the same fabrics. Although the gown is unmarked, the sophistication and construction points to its origins in a New York or Philadelphia-area dressmaking establishment. Gigot sleeves enjoyed a very brief popularity, falling out of favor in just a few years.NotesThis elegant dolman cape was owned and worn by Freehold resident Sarah Josephine Bleakley. Born in 1844 in Verplanck, Westchester County, New York, Sarah married lawyer James Clarence Conover in 1877. The couple had one child named Rosalie Bleakley Conover. Rosalie married Freehold lawyer Harold McDermott in 1912, and donated many of her mother's garments, including this dolman cape, to the Association in 1935.
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