A Precious Time Capsule...
If you guessed an 18th c Christening set, or basket....you would be correct. What sets this grouping apart from others I have, is not that it has so many pieces that match. That is awesome, yes, but what really made my heart skip several beats, was that the Christening items were still in their original matching basket. I have seen other quilted basket covers identified as cushions over the years, but never, ever a cover still stitched onto the original reed basket underneath. I could hardly contain my excitement when I obtained this precious 18th c time capsule... so I thought it would be fun to dig back in the pictures, and share the basket with you all, as I picked out each item....one by one. I think at a post every other day, this should be a nice respite for some while~
So lets see what came out first!
A shirt like this would have been worn under the Christening gown. The long pleated sleeves end with silk tape ties. Lace trims the cuff, neck and front opening edges.
The shoulders both have insertions of delicate Hollie Point lace. The above is a single repeat~ Flowers in a vase. Sadly, there are no initials or dates worked into the lace, but hey, I'm not complaining. Do you notice anything 'interesting' about the ground fabric yet?
What makes this shirt so fragile, and such a rare survivor, is that the pattern of the ground material, has a pattern that was literally pressed into it. Along with the pleats of the sleeves, if this shirt would have ever been laundered, the impression and pleats would have washed out.
The V&A has a wonderful example of a shift with this type of gathered and pleated sleeve....when a description reads as 'in the pressing', this means they are done just that way~ not stitched in.
The design of the pressing on this shirt is wonderful, and also a singular design, meaning no repeats. I don't know if you will be able to see it if you enlarge the very first photo...but the front is composed of an undulating vine in a U shape, of what look like wheat, over a pointy sprig'd ground.
Looking behind, there is a lattice filler down the center back.
So....one of my current challenges with this piece in particular, is how to remove this vertical crease on the front...doesnt look like its been there too long, but all the usual ways of removing a crease such as this, would ruin the design of the fabric...so for the moment, I have it in storage with the weight of a buffered acid free tissue holding the flap open.
As one can see, the underarm gusset is pressed, and on the sleeves, only the outermost third of the fabric has the pressed design.
A beautiful, and very expensive little shirt for an undoubtedly elite class little baby!
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