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Bodice
Part of a mourning dress worn in 1917 by Mrs John Rowlands of Thomas Street, Abertridwr, after the death of her mother, Mrs Margaret Morris. Made by David Evans & Co, Queen Street, Cardiff.
Black silk mourning dress (bodice and skirt) trimmed with black lace and braid.
Inner bodice is made of plain black cotton fabric: back is made up of four pieces of fabric, front is made from two pieces of fabric: one on each side of the centre-front opening. Each front panel has one horizontal dart at the bust and two long vertical darts down to waist. The centre-front closes with eleven sets of metal hook and eye fasteners. The eyes are covered with buttonhole stitches in black thread. Hooks as well as eyes are covered on the inside with a facing of black twill tape (silk warp, cotton weft).
The bodice is reinforced with eleven strips of boning: down each seam, down each of the four vertical darts on the front and in line with each side of the centre-front opening. The boning is made from two narrow strips of whalebone (baleen) which are tightly laced together with black thread. They are covered by black herringbone twill tape (silk warps and cotton wefts) which is attached with machine stitches running down the middle, in-between the two narrow strips, as well as along either side. The bottom edge of the boning is secured underneath a black twill tape which binds the bottom edge of the cotton which makes up the inner bodice, whereas at the top, the black tape is turned back around the baleen and is secured with seven large tacking stitches in white silk (?) thread (3-ply, Z-twist).
At centre-front and centre-back is an ornate section which is applied onto the inner black cotton base. It consists of a black silk ground layer with seven rows of applied strips of gathered black silk net on the bottom, and a section of black lace (fine net with a design of flowers and leaves, embroidered with loosely plied, glossy black synthetic thread) at the top. The lace has an additional layer of black crêpeline backing which wraps around and encapsulates the edges of the lace. In between floral lace and the lower strips of net is a section of plain black silk arranged in horizontal pleats (pleats pointing upwards). he front has an additional element applied to the pleated section of plain silk. It is a piece of thin card cut out to the shape of the letter 'D' which has then been wrapped in narrow strips of plain black silk fabric. It is attached in such a way that the rounded section of the 'D' is pointing downwards. Attached to the lower, rounded, edge are seven small balls covered in black silk, suspended by a short length of a single black silk thread.
At the front, the ornate, applied section straddles the centre-front opening. Tt is stitched to the right side, but then overlaps the row of hook fastenings. Its upper section also extends above the neckline of the inner black cotton base. Where it extends, it appears to be lined with an additonal section of plain black silk which is finished off with a narrow double-turnback, visible on the inside of the bodice. The overlapping upper section of the ornate panel, fastens with four metal hooks and corresponding stitched loops (running up the upper part of the left side of the black cotton base). There are two further hooks and stitched eyes at the left shoulder. The tight neck opening is trimmed with a length of scalloped black cotton lace.
The sleeves are constructed of two pieces of plain black cotton, which extend to the elbow. This upper section of the sleeve is trimmed with eight bands of plain black silk, which overlap (giving the appearance of pleats) and are machine-stitched to the cotton. Attached along the shoulder seam, is a wide outer sleeve, made of black silk lined with black cotton tabby, with applied decoration of a double-cord of silk, laid in patterns onto the surface of the silk and held it place with small tacking stitches; the ends of the silk cord are drawn through to the inside and stitched in place. Along the outer edge is a trim of small suspended black balls (as above). The balls are placed c. 2.5cm apart and extend fully around the edge of the sleeve. The outer sleeve covers the upper part of the inner sleeve loosely, overlapping some of the silk bands.
From the elbow down is a semi-transparent section of the same black lace fabric as in the upper section of centre-front and centre-back (including the crêpeline backing). Similar to the upper sleeve, this is constructed from two pieces: one narrow (inner) and one wider (outer) section. The inside of the cuff is reinforced with black cotton bias tape. The outer edge of the cuff is trimmed with a narrow strip of plain black silk fabric. Applied to the cuff is a trim of very fine, very loosely woven black silk fabric which has now become distorted and matted.
In addition to the above, the bodice has a floating, outer trim, which is only loosely attached and resembles a bolero style jacket. The rear section of this element differs from a waistcoat in that consists of two separate sections (as on the front) which do not touch in the middle. On the back (apart from the mid-to-lower part of the PR side of the back), and rightR side of the front its edges are stitched down, whereas there are six metal hooks which close onto corresponding stitched loops on the ornate section on the left of the centre-front. It is unattached along the lower edge and surrounding the arm holes, the upper section of which is again trimmed with suspended balls (as above); here they are placed more closely together at c. 1.5cm. Front and rear of the 'bolero' are seamed together at shoulder and sides. The rear consists of two pieces of black silk, whereas the front sections are larger and each have a vertical dart. Edges are trimmed with a c. 2cm strip of black silk folded in half. This 'bolero' has applied embroidered decoration (same as outer sleeve, see above). The 'bolero' is lined with black cotton fabric.
Poking out from the lower edge of the 'bolero' element is a 'belt' made from plain black silk fabric. It is stitched into six pleats at sides and centre-back but is gathered at the centre-front. The centre-front fastens with three metal hooks and eyes (eyes covered with black thread). Reinforced with five short vertical strips of boning: at sides, centre-back and in line with hooks and eyes at the centre-front. Attached to inner cotton base of bodice with a few stitches at centre-back, sides and right side of centre-front along the upper edge of the belt.
The bodice has underarm pads of cream cotton tabby woven fabric, edge encapsulated in cotton tape, stamped in black with maker's name and address ('DAVID EVANS & Co., QUEEN STREET, CARDIFF').
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