With a woven pattern of white on a pink ground, the Chinese silk dress has both a day bodice and an evening bodice, to be worn with the same skirt.
The evening bodice is lined with white cotton and boned. The bertha collar is formed by a deep flounce of Carrickmacross lace combined with a straight-edged lace, bobbin lace, and a machine-made lace; a pink silk cord drawstring at the neckline may not be original.
The net undersleeves are edged with machine-made lace and frills of Lille lace.
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The day bodice is slightly bigger than the evening bodice, so it seems likely that the latter was made first and then the day bodice was created perhaps a year or two later. The skirt has probably been been let out.
The day bodice - boned at the sides and bust - has loose front panels gathered both into the shoulder seams and into a rounded point at the waist. It is open at the center front showing the ivory cotton lining covered by strips of Brussels appliqué bobbin lace. The peplum has ivory silk fringe around the edge.
The lower parts of the sleeves are flared and have two flounces, both edged with ivory silk fringe. Each flounce is further embellished by short lengths of ivory and pink striped silk ribbon shaped into a sort of flat bow with pieces of the dress silk, the reverse side showing.
The same bow motif is at the center neck, and the same Brussels lace finishes the sleeve ends, and forms a wide border to the muslin collar.
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There was a hand written label included with the garment which says: "Hand looms 1840s-1850s. Silk weaving Chinese mills owned by Bentham Ullett. [...]"
There is little information about the particular Chinese mills mentioned in the note. Robert Bentham Ullett was born about 1824 in Stow, Lincolnshire, and died in 1876 in Bloomsbury, London. He and his wife Mary had a daughter, Lucy Eden, born in 1854 in Shanghai, and baptized in 1858 at Christ Church, North Brixton. Considering the date, it's possible, even likely, that the dress was made for Mary Ullett.
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