What could this item of clothing be?

[Sandy H]

Hi,

My mother gave me an old linen garment.  It is very simple with short sleeves, no lace or anything. Just ruffles on the short sleeves. The neckline is HUGE (about 2 ft wide) and there are no drawstrings or casings for a drawstring. I think it is an undergarment for a female, but she must have been 4 ft tall and about 3 ft wide, with shoulders like a modern football player! There is some very fine embroidery at the neckline in red that says S*K  6 1816. This comes from my Kindred family in Suffolk, Eng. I have quite a bit of info about this family, but no females with the letter "S" during this time period.

Any idea what type of garment this might be? Under garment, maternity garment, or possibly burial garment? And why it is so wide at the neck? My Kindreds were very short and none of them fat or wide. My own GF Kindred was 4'11" and about 85 lbs. This garment was in his possession and passed down to me.

Any help would be appreciated!

Sandy

[PrueM]

Hi Sandy 

Sounds intriguing!  Any chance of a photo of it, to get a better idea of what it looks like?
It sounds like your describing some of my childhood dressmaking efforts! 

Cheers
Prue

[Danchaslyn]

 

Hi  SandyH

My guess that this would be a female's modesty garment.  That is, one used when a lady was bathing in the iron tub, in front of the fire, in her bedchamber, either in the presence of servants, or possibly, depending on the quality of the garment, bathing, in front of the rest of the family, in the living room of an humble cottage?

Cheers

Danchaslyn
 

[Tugboat Annie]

Dan,

Love your suggestion ... reminded me suddenly of the days when my mother used to wash me in a tub in front of the fire in winter! too young, thank goodness, to need such a garment

[Danchaslyn]

 

Hi Tugboatannie

What a hoot,..................waterhoot,!  Were you always involved with water?   

Such a delightful picture of you in the tub, in front of the fire!!   

As youngsters, in the colonies,      sometimes our bathing water was heated, by fires under old tin drums, balanced on 'stilts', just outside the bathroom window. Fortunately pipes would lead inside, to the bath taps.  Hot water and bathing, had to be rationed.

Cheers

Danchaslyn
 

[Tugboat Annie]

Hi Dan,

Our bathroom had a wood-chip heater which obviously was not put into operation every day! So, out came the old tin tub (my baby bath, if I remember correctly) and, in turns, we washed in front of the fire!

Apparently an old "colonial" habit!!!

Bye from an ex-ozzie (exiled in France for many years now) ... "Tugboat Annie" is a legacy from my godmother! Not quite sure what that implied???

Bye

[dollylee]

This is probably totally off the wall but could it have been some type of top for a nursing mother?
Sounds like it could have been easily slipped down to nurse on one breast while keeping the other covered.

dollylee

[Danchaslyn]

Hi TugboatAnnie     

You have such a delightful name, and it conjures up images of anything but France!  Nor Ozland! Had a great trip to Paris, Nov 07, loved it, wish to repeat the experience, pity the Euro is on a par with the £ Sterling!   

So 'Colonial' washing was widespread, naturally we also swam in dams and rivers to ablute.   

Back to your 'garment', wish a "Victorian Expert" would tell us if it is for bathing in, or, like Dollylee says, perhaps for 'nursing'?   

bye for now

Danchaslyn
 

[Sandy H]

Hi Prue, 

Finally have photos of garment. It is so big and so wide, I had trouble getting a good picture of it! The neckline is too wide to put it on a hanger.

I like Dan's idea of it being a modesty garment and also Dollylee's idea about it being a nursing garment. Very good possiblities. What about the initials and date? Could it be her birthdate, wedding date, or possibly the birth date of a baby? Does anyone have any thoughts on this??

Cheers

Sandy H