Dressing Mrs. Ferguson: 1765-1770 Mourning gown

Elizabeth Ferguson, staymaker from London Town, Maryland, was widowed in 1770.  I've made a couple of gowns for Elizabeth--one being a chintz day gown and one being a wool/silk stuff winter gown.  I felt that it would be appropriate to create a mourning gown for her.  My research indicates that most mourning gowns of that era were made out of bombazine (silk and wool), silk or worsted.  The Fergusons were upper middle class working people--Scottish immigrants.  Elizabeth took on her husband's stay making business upon his death and she ran the ordinary that they owned. You can see Elizabeth's other gown here.  I decided that a fine wool would be the best choice for her as a practical working woman.  I was pleased to find black wool sateen with a corded stripe at Mood Fabrics.  The texture almost gives it the feel of dimity.

Here are the inspiration images I decided to work with.  The first two gowns are quite similar with a looser fitting cuffed sleeve.  The earlier gown has a strip in the front where a stomacher could be.  I was also intrigued by the white flounces on the sleeves in that one as I cannot tell if they are sewn to the gown or attached to the shift.  The ruffles on the second gown's sleeves are clearly attached to the shift.  The third image is inspiration for various accessories--in particular the handkerchief and cap which I may decide to make.

1752

1764

1772

I decided to use my favorite gown pattern with some modifications.  First I made the sleeve a little looser--only by about 1/2 inch.  I used the cuff pattern from Fitting and Proper which I had used on Mrs. F's other gowns but I made it larger so it would be more winged. I stitched a covered weight inside each cuff to make them hang properly. This gown can be worn with the plain stomacher or with a strip like in the first image for an earlier year.  

I also decided to make hip pads to wear in lieu of pocket hoops.

I like these pads--they're fairly modest in size but give the desired silhouette as seen below with the gown.  I also find them easier to wear than pocket hoops.

Once I had the hip pads, I could measure for the hem and make the petticoat.    

I had some leftover Swiss batiste which is lovely fabric.  I measured and cut some ruffles to tack inside the sleeves.

I basted the ruffles to the edge of the sleeve under the cuff.

This gown will be worn with a plain white voile handkerchief or with a finer tambour worked one depending on the occasion.  I will also wear a lappet cap --either my fine linen one or an organdy one that is a little fancier.  I feel like this gown could be dressed up with a 50's/60s wired winged cap which is also on my agenda.  I also made the deliberate choice to NOT wear an apron.  I looked at a lot of mourning portraits.  The vast majority of them showed no aprons.  One or two had black silk ones.  I don't know if this has to do with if the portraits were early in the mourning period or not.  I'll have to do more research.

For the photo shoot, I kept it basic with the linen cap and sheer muslin half handkerchief.

Photos were taken at the old Ellicott Family graveyard in Ellicott City, Maryland

I'm extremely pleased with this gown.  I love wool gowns. They're comfortable, they don't wrinkle and the colors are usually intense.  The looser sleeve is more comfortable and I like the winged cuffs.  I think the gown is perfect for Elizabeth Ferguson.