Figure 1.--This boy wears a dress with a smocked bodice. Notice the use of a different material falling from the shoulders to framer the smocking work on the bodice. The child is not identified, but looks like a boy to us. It was taken by the King studio in Fairfield, Maine. The portrait is not dated, but the mount suggests it was taken some time between 1888-96. We would guess about 1890, in part because of the plain sleeve treatment, click on the image for a fuller discussion.

The bodice is the upper part of a dress above the waistline. The bodice treatment varied in part because waistlines varied over time. This the size of the bodice varied quite a bit. The collar, neckline, and sleeves or adds on to the bodice. Voluminous collars and sleeves could infringe on the bodice. We deal with all these elkements separately. Here we want to deal with the central part of the boddice and how it was done. The central part of the bodice could be done in many different ways. There were plain bodices. Two of the most common decorative treatments were smocking and buttons. Some designers used different materials in the bodice. There are many other different approaches such as princess, square, keyhole and V necklines. Decorative approaches include color blocking, cutwork, embroidery, heirloom sewing, lacing, quilting, ribbon work, serging, smocking, and many other techniques.

Buttons

Color Blocking

Cutwork

Embroidery

Heirloom Sewing

Lacing

We note some dresses done with laving in the front during the 19th century. We do not know how commonit was or have enough images to be able to assess the chronological trends. We note one example that combines a pin-on lace collar with front lacing and eyelets which we suspect comes from the 1880s. It give a kind of jacket impression, but we do not think it was laced and unlaced every day. e believe this was aecorative device. And what looks somewhat like a jacket was probabky just sewed to gether to createca boddice. We think this was a stylistic elkement used for both boys' and girls dresses.

Quilting

Ribbon Work

Serging

Smocking

Somocking was a very popular stylisistic device used on dress nodices. Notice the smocking on the dress here about 1890 (gigure 1).,

Created: 7:13 PM 6/28/2010
Last updated: 2:32 AM 6/9/2012