Evening dress, c.1805-1810
This dress is a beautiful example of late Georgian fashion. Its luxurious fabric and heavily embroidered bodice and sleeves are typical of fashions from 1805-1810.
The Late Georgian period lasted from 1760-1811, when George III ruled Britain. After the heavy fabrics and tight-waisted dresses of the earlier Georgian period, fashions changed. Dresses from the late 1700s and early 1800s used light, soft fabrics. Waistlines rose from a tightly corseted waistline to this high waisted style, called âEmpire Lineâ.
No information remains about the owner of this dress, but it would have been worn for a special occasion. Perhaps it was made for a dance, an elegant dinner, or a high society social event.
If the dress was worn locally, it may have graced one of the fine buildings that survives in Hull today. The home of one of Hullâs rich merchants would have been an appropriate venue. Merchant houses surviving in Hullâs High Street include Maister House and Blaydes House.
The dress is of such high quality that it was probably professionally made. There were no makersâ labels attached to dresses at this time, so it is impossible to say who made it. For those making a dress in Hull, there were many shops and warehouses selling fabrics. These included Rudston and Amery, who advertised themselves as âlinen drapers, haberdashers and importers of Irish linenâ.
