Dresses From History at the Fashion Museum

Fourteen historic ensembles from the Fashion Museum’s world class collection of original dress are on display in the museum galleries from 16 February 2008.

Specialist textile conservators Julie Travis and Lindsay Shephard have prepared the dresses, which have been carefully selected for display. Different dresses require different conservation treatments. For example, a white muslin dress with pale blue embroidery which dates from 1815, was laid out full length on a washing table and gently cleaned to remove nearly 200 years of dust and grime.

The fashions in the new display date from the Georgian, Regency and Victorian periods. An extra feature of the display is the inclusion of one or two pieces associated with Royalty at the time, for example, the ceremonial ensemble worn by the Duke of St Albans as Hereditary Grand Falconer at the Coronation of George IV (he was previously the Prince Regent) in 1821.

The new display opens at the Fashion Museum at the Assembly Rooms in Bath on Saturday 16 February 2008 and continues throughout the rest of the year. Visit the website www.fashionmuseum.co.uk for more information on the museum. Open daily.