Comments on: A Dress Of Spitalfields Silk

By: Amanda

Amanda — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 10:10:49 +0000

A wonderful dress! My Spitalfields ancestors were silk weavers and this is a beautiful example of their craft. The detail on the fabric is beautiful. But how much did it weigh? Ann must have been exhausted at the end of the evening.

By: Carol F

Carol F — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 16:56:42 +0000

Fascinating story: thank you. I am forwarding it to a friend whose husband was recently a Sheriff of the City of London. She & the Lady Mayoress did not need just one dress but a whole wardrobe of outfits for the number of engagements they had to attend in one year-which totalled more than 300 each!

Regarding the width of ‘your’ dress, the building which was The House of St Barnabas just off Soho Square was built with a staircase where the rails bowed out specifically to accommodate such outfits…..I have never seen another like it.

By: Guillaume

Guillaume — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 15:15:52 +0000

Imagine spinning around in that? I can. Pure glamour.

One of my art history professors, presenting a Velazquez of the Infanta Maria Theresa, described the poor thing as looking like “a living sofa”. Rather cruel of him, I think. Poor Maria Theresa remained tone deaf about fashion, one of the reasons why navigating her husband’s court was such a martyrdom.

Of course, nothing of the sort could ever have been said of Ann Fanshawe. That’s what I think. Though we don’t have her picture, we can be sure her wondrous gown did full justice to her beauty and charm.

Poor Maria Theresa.

By: polly wharram

polly wharram — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 17:51:25 +0000

Isn’t that a face in the 4th panel shown? and if so, whose? It appears in the centre, about three quarters of the way down. It is a most beautiful dress however awkward to wear.

By: Jean

Jean — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 16:56:54 +0000

A shift *is* underwear …

By: emmie pollard

emmie pollard — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 16:19:08 +0000

Thank you for the story of this dress. How interesting it is to imagine the discussion about the decoration and the evening.
Were the gold and silver wire drawers involved in the manufacture of garments such as this?

By: Lynne Perrella

Lynne Perrella — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 14:50:22 +0000

As far as I know, this would be considered a pannier dress. I was just researching various portraits by Velasquez, showing pannier dresses and their social significance. Wide hips were considered a plus, affirming a woman’s child-bearing role. These doorway-busting silhouettes took that sentiment to a new level. Even the headdresses and/or wigs echoed the “wide” format, and stomachers were inserted inside many of the garments to create an artificial, constrained midriff and a generous bust line. (or, “bosom”, a totally delightful word that is not used ENOUGH in my opinion……..)

The condition of this dress is amazing – and thanks for the descriptive photos.
Wonderful. Say YES to the dress.

By: Sue M

Sue M — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 14:38:47 +0000

That is an amazing dress. It must have looked fabulous when new. Very wide dresses was a crazy fashion. Ann must have stood out in that dress.

By: Caroline Murray

Caroline Murray — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 12:05:17 +0000

Fascinating, thank you! Is it known who the designer was?

By: Christine

Christine — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 07:37:40 +0000

What an honour to wear such an item! She must have stood out of the crowd that evening! I do hope her children were there to see their Mother looked so elegant. I wonder how much it actually cost back then and the equivalent cost today?