Dress
PeriodCirca 1830
Place MadeNew York or New Jersey, U.S.A.
MediumCotton batiste
Dimensions50 in. (127 cm)
ClassificationsCostume, Women's
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Henrietta B. Slote, 1935
Object number874
DescriptionA woman's dress of fine white cotton batiste. The gown is constructed with a wide, shallow boat neck, edged with a one-inch band of broderie anglaise. A small 3 inch cotton gusset is inserted at the shoulder ends of either side of the neckline for strengthening. The gown's full, puffed sleeves are trimmed with broderie anglaise bands. The bodice is plain, with slight gathers across the neckline and at the waistband for fullness. The waistline is quite high, with a gored skirt gathered in tiny cartridge pleats. The skirt hem is deeply scalloped and worked with bold broderie anglaise floral motifs. The dress includes a rear closure, with a singled covered button and loop at the neckline, and a narrow double drawstring casing closure at the waistband.Curatorial RemarksThis lovely white cotton batiste gown dates to the very early 1830s. Although still high, the gown's waistband is lower than the style of the 1810s and 1820s. The large, full puffed sleeves also indicate the very early 1830s date. White gowns with white embroidery, often referred to as "broderie anglaise," were particularly well-suited to young women.NotesDonor Henrietta Blanck Slote and her husband Edgar A. Slote lived in Middletown on Kings Highway in Monmouth County for many years. Both were originally from New York City, where Edgar Slote was one of the proprietors of the Underhill, Slote & Cornell Clothiers, Tailors & Outfitters. The firm specialized in Men's, Boy's, and Children's clothing and accessories. By 1900, the couple, who apparently had no children, moved to a residence on Kings Highway. The Slotes immersed themselves in local life. Henrietta raised flowers, vegetables, and chickens, and opened a little tea room called "The Flower Garden," designed with the new automobile travelers along the busy road. Edgar, in the meantime, devoted himself to the Monmouth County Agricultural Society as well as local politics. Edgar Slote was struck and killed by a truck on November 21, 1916. His widow continued to live in the family home on Kings HIghway. She died at the age of 82 on April 14, 1940. Both Edgar and Henrietta were buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn. It is unknown how this gown, dating from the early 1830s, came to be in Henrietta's possession. The couple lived for many years in Middletown and may have acquired the gown from a local family. Mrs. Slote gave no information about the gown when she dontated it to the Historical Association in 1935.
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