Day Dress by Madame Clapham, Hull, 1891
This dress was made by Hull's most famous dressmaker for the wife of Robert Jameson, mayor of Hull in 1870-1873. She wore it at her son's wedding in 1891. An embroidered label in the waistband of the dress says: 'Robes et Modes, E Clapham, Kingston Square, Hull.' Madame Clapham liked to be associated with the latest Paris fashions. This is why she used the French words 'robes et modes', meaning 'dresses and fashion', on her labels. Emily Clapham opened her dressmaking salon in Kingston Square, Hull, in 1887. By the 1890s she was widely regarded as Hull's finest dressmaker. The salon attracted an international clientele of rich and stylish ladies. Madame Clapham ran the salon until her death in 1952, when her niece Emily Wall took over until 1967. Madame Clapham's skill was to select aspects of the latest Paris and London fashions to create her own designs. Each season she bought a selection of sample gowns from the leading fashion houses of London and Paris. She designed her own creations using bodices, skirts and sleeves from different dresses. She had a talent for selecting the right colour, cut and trimmings to suit her client. In the workrooms of her salon Madame Clapham's highly trained workers made clothes to her designs. Their fine needlework earned Madame Clapham her international reputation as a dressmaker. Madame Clapham's most famous client was Queen Maud of Norway, daughter of Edward VII of England. The salon advertised its royal patronage to enhance its exclusivity and prestige. Madame Clapham took pride in the custom she attracted. In an interview with the 'Hull Lady' magazine in 1901 she said: 'To give you some idea as to the large connection I have, I may tell you I make dresses for most of the county and leading society ladies, also a great many for royalty, and I send out dresses to ladies living abroad whom I have never seen.'
