This is an incredible 1889 - 1891 ca Victorian dress. The dress is made of rich forest green cotton with a floral design in pinks and yellows painted all over. The pattern is super reminiscent of the work of William Morris. He is famous for his art nouveau wallpaper prints during the arts and crafts movement. The dress is two pieces: a bodice and a skirt. The bodice has a high mandarin-style collar with a little ruffle. It buttons down the front with brown textured buttons is fitted with princess

seams and falls past the neutral waist to just brush the hips. The hem of the bodice has a large ruffle attached that exaggerates the hips and the pointed shape of the bodice. The sleeves on the bodice are very fun and help date this dress as they are the beginning of the 1890s leg of mutton sleeves. The sleeves are just puffed and are pulled into the shoulders. They are loosely fitted, unlike later sleeves. The cuffs have a small slit in them to help get your hand through with a little ruffle trimming them. The bodice is fully lined in white cotton and is lightly boned compared to later bodices with just 2 bones of baleen on the princess seam and side seam. One of the bones is broken so you can see what type was used. 

The skirt is simple but just as much fun as the top. The shape is more straight with volume at the side of the hips to keep it more rectangular like the bustle styles of the 1880s. There is dense cartridge pleating at the back that gives the skirt a slight train and volume to fit over a bum pad or a small bustle. I am not sure exactly how prominent the bustle should be as illustrations I have from this time do not show much of the backs of gowns from this era. The skirt has a slight train and trails in a rectangular shape as opposed to the round trains of the coming era. There is a little ruffle at the bottom that helps hold out the skirt just enough. The skirt is unlined and the cartridge pleats are attached by hand. There is one large brass hook and an eye at the waistband to fasten the skirt. 

Condition:

The dress is in fantastic condition with only some slight fading to the top. It is faint and hard to tell unless you lay the top on the skirt and can see that the colors are just a bit deeper in the skirt. The buttons have also been replaced at some point. They are decent-looking plastic buttons that don't distract from the gown but are not original. The stitching on the inside back is very noticeable and not in line with Victorian sewing tendencies. The dress is still wearable with care and has a faint odor from storage. 

Measurements

Top

Shoulders: 11.25"

Bust: 34"

Waist: 25.5"

Length: 20.5"

Sleeves:23"

Cuffs: 8"

Skirt

Waist: 24"

Hips: Free

Length: 41"

Train" 7"

The measurements provided are the max for the garment.  

Please check the measurements closely for determining fit. I do not give sizes for vintage items as women's sizes are not standardized and a majority of these dresses were homemade or specialty-made to fit one person. If you have any questions about the fit feel free to ask, I am happy to help.

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Shipping:

All items are lovingly packed for safe travels and the experience of buying a (mostly) one-of-a-kind piece. Anything over $500 requires a signature at delivery. 

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