Bodice

Description

This bodice is a part of a two piece dress (worn with skirt: 2013.0048.001 B) created by the19th century couture dress firm Russell & Allen in London. This may have been created for the theater or as a "Fancy Dress" costume.The garment is partially lined in ivory silk twill and the seams are boned with eleven strips of baleen. The baleen strips are also covered in silk twill. Three types of fabric are used on the exterior of the bodice.The primary fabric is an ivory silk brocade with floral motifs (floral sprigs and branches with leaves) in tan and gold. The accessory fabrics are ivory organza: shirred for use on the high stand collar and the plastron (the decorative frills at the front of the bodice) and used in panels with a scalloped edge as a flounce at the end of each sleeve, and green velvet: on the stomacher and folded cuffs. Shirred organza covers the raised collar and plastron. The collar has been stiffened (internally) with additional materials to give it enough body to stand and hold its slightly curved form. These materials are not visible, but could include buckram, cambric, metal wire or horsehair. The underside of the collar is lined in green velvet. The velvet panels at the front of the bodice connect with a series of brass hook and eyes and are also pierced with a row of eyelets. The eyelets are reinforced with green thread. These panels have a scalloped edge along one side and do not include any type of lacing. The velvet panels are heavily beaded with floral motifs in glass seed beads in a variety of colors.When the two panels are connected, they create the highly finished effect of a beaded stomacher. The sleeves are lined with silk twill. The exterior of the cuffs are covered in rectangular pieces of velvet and lined with a flounce created with a scalloped length of organza. A cotton waistband is attached at the center of the interior. The waistband is stamped in gold with the mark of the couturier "RUSSELL & ALLEN/ (inside curved ribbon) 17,18,19/(inside curved ribbon) OLD BOND STREET/(inside curved ribbon) LONDRES/ROBES DE BAL". The waistband closes with a brass hook and eye.