#1799 $850
Tambour-embroidered summer skirt, 1830s
In the early 1820s, the straight lines of the Neoclassical style began to give way to the more exaggerated shapes of the Romantic period. The high waist, which returned to its natural level, was again tightened with corsets. Full skirts that emphasized the desirable small waist were back in style. The fashion plate below illustrates the evolution in style; the outfit on the left is c.1822, those on the right are c.1829.
The skirt is fashioned from sheer cotton gauze and is completely hand sewn. The skirt is decorated with trailing vines of fruit. I love the tambour embroidery!
My heart skipped a beat when I first saw the skirt—the cheerful innocence of the embroidered design is endearing. The delectable vines and the fruits, which are slightly padded, are executed in wool floss. The white leaves are done in cotton floss.
The third picture down displays the ripe red berries on the vine. The depiction of the looping, sinuous vines is masterful. Here we see nature wearing her gay wardrobe to celebrate the coming of spring.
"Tambour" refers to a technique that uses a frame (tambour) to hold the fabric taut. The frame is used in conjunction with a hook (the tambour hook), which resembles a crochet hook. This greatly speeds up the chain stitch compared to the old method, which used only a needle to do the embroidery. At Vintage Textile, we often use the words tambour and chain stitch interchangeably, because the result is a chain stitch.
The skirt is all original, other than a 1 7/8" addition to the waistband. There is no known provenance.
The condition is very good. There are several discrete mends from the period. They get lost in the fullness of the skirt and do not spoil the appearance.
The skirt currently has a 26" waist and is 37 1/2" long.
