Christening gown
Object name
Date made
Mid 19th century
Place made
Description
Mid 19th-century christening gown of white cotton muslin embroidered on the bodice, sleeves, skirt, and hemline with floral and foliate motifs.
Content description
Mid 19th-century christening gown of white fine cotton muslin with an embroidered bodice and sleeves and long skirt gathered at the waist. The gown has Ayrshire whitework embroidery on the front of the bodice, on the inset sleeves, and in triangular areas along the skirt's hemline. The embroidery consists of foliate scrolls and flowers in padded satin stitch, voided on the three petalled flowers, stems and outlines in a loose stem stitch, lines of eyelet holes known as beading, satin stitch on the ‘buds’, and a version of shadow work on some of the leaves, where the muslin is left showing on the top surface of the motif with long stitches on the reverse which emerge as small loops framing the leaf edges. There are areas of a simple pulled thread filling on some of the larger motifs. Flat edging, known as robing, frames the front bodice panel and borders the sleeve and skirt hems, in a triple scalloped design with buttonhole stitch border and small satin stitch sprigs. The bodice neckline is edged with narrow spot pattern bobbin lace, stitched onto a bound hem with a visible back or running stitch detail.
The bodice fabric was repaired at a later date and is supported with net and areas of conservation darning. Such net and darning are present throughout the gown. The bodice may have been cut down from a larger size as the embroidery design is a little truncated at the front waist seam. However, this may be intentional, as there was a tradition in Ayrshire baby gowns for the triangular panel of embroidery on the front of the bodice to extend over the waistline if the gown was for a boy, but to be ‘tucked’ into it for a girl. The waist seam is bound and stitched with back or running stitches matching the neckline.
The embroidery design is delicate, but the techniques employed and their execution are relatively simple compared to early 19th-century Ayrshire work. The embroidery on the skirt is restricted to the hem area. There are no complex needlelace fillings and no panel of fine work extending down the whole front of the skirt edged with robings, as was usual in the best examples. This may indicate either that the gown was a less expensive item, or that it dates to the later part of the 19th century. Fern leaves were a typical motif of the late 1860s according to Margaret Swain, and the fronds worked on this gown may suggest a date around this time.
Ayrshire whitework developed from the style of 18th-century Dresden whitework. Indian muslin was a highly popular material for ladies' fashion at the time but had become subject to import levies which later increased during the early 19th century. A fine cloth was reproduced in Scotland which imitated Indian muslin, then in 1782 the Italian Luigi Ruffini arrived in Edinburgh and established a workforce embellishing the local cloth with tambour and pulled thread decoration. In 1814, having been shown a French baby gown with fine needlelace fillings by Lady Montgomerie of Eglington, Mrs Jamieson of Ayr established a school for the delicate and intricate techniques of Ayrshire whitework which quickly fostered a major cottage industry in the area. By 1856 this had grown to 50 firms with thousands of outworkers spread over Scotland and into Northern Ireland, embroidering a range of ladies’ collars and underwear and babies’ caps and gowns. From the 1860s, however, such rapid growth meant standards began to slip and the industry declined, eventually to be overtaken by machine produced alternatives.
This christening gown is very typical, being bright white and very long. Christening gowns, also called christening robes or christening dresses, were worn by babies at their baptisms. Often, christening gowns were worn by many members and subsequent generations of a family. It is likely that this was the case for this example, given that it has been lovingly repaired.
The bodice fabric was repaired at a later date and is supported with net and areas of conservation darning. Such net and darning are present throughout the gown. The bodice may have been cut down from a larger size as the embroidery design is a little truncated at the front waist seam. However, this may be intentional, as there was a tradition in Ayrshire baby gowns for the triangular panel of embroidery on the front of the bodice to extend over the waistline if the gown was for a boy, but to be ‘tucked’ into it for a girl. The waist seam is bound and stitched with back or running stitches matching the neckline.
The embroidery design is delicate, but the techniques employed and their execution are relatively simple compared to early 19th-century Ayrshire work. The embroidery on the skirt is restricted to the hem area. There are no complex needlelace fillings and no panel of fine work extending down the whole front of the skirt edged with robings, as was usual in the best examples. This may indicate either that the gown was a less expensive item, or that it dates to the later part of the 19th century. Fern leaves were a typical motif of the late 1860s according to Margaret Swain, and the fronds worked on this gown may suggest a date around this time.
Ayrshire whitework developed from the style of 18th-century Dresden whitework. Indian muslin was a highly popular material for ladies' fashion at the time but had become subject to import levies which later increased during the early 19th century. A fine cloth was reproduced in Scotland which imitated Indian muslin, then in 1782 the Italian Luigi Ruffini arrived in Edinburgh and established a workforce embellishing the local cloth with tambour and pulled thread decoration. In 1814, having been shown a French baby gown with fine needlelace fillings by Lady Montgomerie of Eglington, Mrs Jamieson of Ayr established a school for the delicate and intricate techniques of Ayrshire whitework which quickly fostered a major cottage industry in the area. By 1856 this had grown to 50 firms with thousands of outworkers spread over Scotland and into Northern Ireland, embroidering a range of ladies’ collars and underwear and babies’ caps and gowns. From the 1860s, however, such rapid growth meant standards began to slip and the industry declined, eventually to be overtaken by machine produced alternatives.
This christening gown is very typical, being bright white and very long. Christening gowns, also called christening robes or christening dresses, were worn by babies at their baptisms. Often, christening gowns were worn by many members and subsequent generations of a family. It is likely that this was the case for this example, given that it has been lovingly repaired.
Dimensions
width: 42cm
length: 116cm
length: 116cm
Materials
Stitches
Back stitch 
Buttonhole stitch
Eyelet stitch
Padded satin stitch (laid work padding)
Satin stitch
Stem stitch
Darning stitch
Buttonhole stitch
Eyelet stitch
Padded satin stitch (laid work padding)
Satin stitch
Stem stitch
Darning stitch
Techniques
Motifs
Credit line
Gift of Mrs H. Wood, December 1994.
Catalogue number
COL.1994.67
Other numbers
RSN 1065
© Royal School of Needlework