This is a wonderful white super fine lawn cotton regency gown, dating closer to the 1820s with the little puff sleeves and the seaming in the back. The gown has a scooped neckline with little puffed sleeves that are tiny. The cuffs are embroidered with open work. The gown is a proper empire waist and has waist tape for support. There are also linen dress proctors sewn in on the sides to protect the armpits of the dress. The skirt is simple and falls in an A-line style to the floor with a slight train in the back. The hem is decorated with more gorgeous embroidery in a fun floral with open work centers. The hem is scalloped with another band of scalloping embroidery above it. The dress fastens in the back with two tie drawstrings. One at the top with the tie going through the neckline and one at the empire waist that tends to leave a little keyhole. There is also a bit of volume to the skirt with all of the gathers in the back under the waist seam. The dress is entirely hand-sewn. The embroidery is so impressive. You can tell that they did the embroidery after the dress was constructed. This was common practice of the time. On the two side seams the embroidery goes over the seam.
Condition:
The dress is in great condition for its age but does have some damage. The most noticeable is that there are two holes in the hem. One is a bit big and the other is about the size of a quarter. I did not want to alter the dress as I don't have any material close to how fine this cotton or the silk that they used. There are some old fixes to the dress and they are mesmerizing. They are so fine and very well done. The last thing is that there are some really small speckles of age stains scattered around the waist of the dress. They are pin-head size and are hard to see. This dress is just so incredible and such a great piece of history. I would not recommend wearing it as it is so old but it is sturdy and great for display and study.

This item is sold from an excellent, highly rated vintage seller in Pittsburgh, Pa.