This dress was worn by the donor's grandmother, Mrs Louisa Burrows, in the late 1800s.

Characteristic of women's fashion of this period was the tight-fitting boned bodice, aimed at creating the much desired hourglass shape. However some women rebelled against this tight, constricting style. Inspired by the Aesthetic movement in England, which encouraged good design, originality and self-expression, they began to wear easy-fitting dresses which revived past styles (Walkley 1985).

This dress borrows elements from Medieval 18th and 19th century fashion, with its loose front and girdle, and hanging sleeves. Such characteristics have been combined with elements of late 19th century fashion, including the bustle, bows and lace, however remains distinctly different to mainstream costumes of the period. The influence of Aesthetic dress is also evident in the dress's embellishment, which features a repetitive floral motif embroidered along the opening and shoulders of the gown. However the dresses bustle at the back may be seen as contradicting 'Aesthetic philosophy', and may suggest that the costume is a fashionable form of Aesthetic dress.

The Aesthetic style was embraced by a relatively small section of the community, and often extended beyond fashion to include visual arts, literature and fashionable living that rejected the contemporary dress and norms of Victorian industrial society and design, and focussed on the idea of beauty and all things 'artistic'. It was popular amongst artists, poets, writers and actors, most famously Oscar Wilde and William Morris. Although experiencing a surge in popularity in the 1870s, Aesthetic dress was nonetheless considered outside of the normal conventions of the time; its unstructured style, particularly for women, thought to be immodest and unfeminine. Aesthetics were commonly the subject of ridicule in cartoons and magazines such as the British satire magazine 'Punch', not only for their 'alternative' clothing, but for their perceived sentimentality, exhibitionism and exaggerated language.

Related to Aesthetic dress was the Rational Dress, or Dress Reform movement, that began in England in around the 1850s and continued throughout the 19th century. However unlike Aesthetic dress, which rebelled against the fashion norms of the period, this movement actively promoted a reformed dress style that combined comfort, health, convenience and beauty. In 1881 the Rational Dress Society was founded in London, and began publishing a Gazette that outlined the following philosophy:
'The Rational Dress Society protests against the introduction of any fashion in dress that either deforms the figure, impedes the movement of the body, or in any way tends to injure the health. It protests against the wearing of tightly-fitting corsets, of high-heeled or narrow-toed boots and shoes; of heavily-weighted skirts, as rendering healthy exercise almost impossible; and of all tie-down cloaks or other garments impeding the movements of the arms. It protests against crinolines or crinolettes of any kind as ugly and deforming reforms' (RDA 1978).

While initially Aesthetic dress was worn in limited artistic and dress reform circles, in the 1890s the style had been adapted for fashion and worn informally in the home as tea gowns and 'at home' dresses. As such it is difficult to ascertain whether the wearer, Mrs Louisa Burrows, was a firm follower of the Aesthetic movement. Also in the Museum's collection is a boned bodice worn by Mrs Burrows in around 1900. Nonetheless, this well-provenanced dress gives insight into the influence of Aesthetic dress on Australian fashion during the late 19th century.


REF:

Foster, Vanda, 'A Visual History of Costume: The Nineteenth Century', B T Batsford Ltd, London, 1984

Lambourne, Lionel, 'The Aesthetic Movement', Phaidon Press Ltd, London, 1996

Laver, James, 'Costume & Fashion: A Concise History', Thames and Hudson, London, 1982

Rational Dress Association, 'Catalogue of exhibits and gazette', Garland Publishing, New York, 1978

Walkley, Christina, 'The Way to Wear'em: 150 Years of PUNCH on Fashion', Peter Owen Publishers, London, 1985

Aesthetic gowns did not use boning and were designed in natural colours, often using Liberty silks and velvets embroidered with organic forms. This dress is loosely cut and unstructured in style, contrasting greatly to the restrictive, corseted mainstream fashion of the late 19th century. Made of red silk with machine-embroidered repetitive floral motif, its loose hanging front and girdle, sham sleeves, and slight trail at the back are reminiscent of Medieval costume. The design combines Pre-Raphaelite fashion with common elements of late 19th century clothing, including the slight bustle, ribbons, and lace ruffle.

The dress was made for the donor's grandmother, Mrs Louisa Burrows, who lived in Manly, Sydney.

Dress, Aesthetic style, silk, worn by Louisa Burrows, maker unknown, Australia, 1880-1900

Red silk embroidered dress in open-robe style with loose-yellow silk insertion in a line at the front. High round neck with applied yellow silk ribbon at the rear, lace jabot. Fitted back with slight train and tight gathering at centre back, tight fitting sleeves with 110 cm sham hanging sleeve lined with yellow, the dress lined with red. Floral repetitive embroidery along the opening and shoulders in satin stitch in brown, cream and green floss silk. Applied red cording at shoulders. Pocket right side. Hemline curved to take slight bustle into account. Separate red girdle.

Maker: unknown; 1880 - 1890

A10682

1880 - 1890