The TRC Object of the Month for August 2012 is a blue and cream silk robe à l’anglaise for a girl, dating from the late 18th century and worn in the Netherlands. The dress is open at the front and only closes at the bodice with a series of little hooks and eyes. The fabric is a taffeta lancé with narrow vertical lines in warp satin and fine sprig motifs in weft floats using a secondary cream weft. The dress can be admired at the TRC Gallery throughout the month of August.

In the 18th century children were almost similarly dressed to their same-sex adults. There were no special childrens' colours and only a few garments were exclusive  for children. It is difficult to say what the daily dress consisted of, because in paintings and portraits ‘common’ children are seldom depicted and most records are of court style dress worn by aristocratic children. Like the clothing of the 16th and 17th centuries, 18th century clothing of  children was based on the idea of formality of appearance. For a girl that would mean a chemise - a loose undergarment worn next to the skin - , stays, a petticoat, which was sometimes visible, stockings, garters, pockets, a dress, an apron (not worn with the open robes) , cap and shoes. Significant changes occurred after the 1770-80s, when lighter dresses came into fashion, ending with Neo-Classical draperie inspired dresses with high waists. But until then the wearing of stays was also for children believed to be wholesome, because it was thought to support the back and the digestive organs. Also the wearing of hats and caps at all times was thought to prevent illness by keeping the head warm.

The little silk robe à l’anglaise in the TRC collection is in a remarkably good condition, which can be explained by the high quality of the silk yarn used in the fabric. But also it is worth realizing that at that time laundering garments, which tends to damage the clothing, was a labour-intensive job,  resulting in the use of linen underwear and aprons to keep expensive outer clothes clean. With the TRC robe is a piece of fabric, which was obviously carefully preserved and intended to be used for future repairs. That such a dress was not a one-season item can be deduced from the two separate elbow attachments, which were probably added to follow current fashions.
 

• Keywords: Clothing,  children’s  garment,  girl’s dress, robe à l’anglaise                  
• Object type: Blue silk dress for a girl           
• Local name: Robe à l’Anglaise            
• Country: The Netherlands                     
• Date: 2nd half 18th century   
• Materials: Silk , blue warp threads, lightly S-twisted; blue and cream weft threads, of floss silk. 
• Techniques: Taffeta lancé. Fine vertical lines in warp satin. Motifs in weft floats using a secondary cream coloured weft thread
• Dimensions: H 94 x W 78 cm
• TRC number: 2007.0732

Further reading:

Noreen Marshall, Dictionary of Children’s Clothes, 1700s to Present, V&A Publishing, London, 2008.