Maternity Dress, c. 1905, French. Victoria and Albert Museum.
Maternity dress consisting of a bodice and skirt of cream machine-made net mounted on pink silk satin.
The bodice is waist length, and has matching net draped and mounted over the breast with pink chiffon puffed sleeves and frills. The centre front is also filled with pink chiffon embroidered in pink silk, gilt thread, spangles and pearl beads in a formal flower design. The bodice fastens at the centre back with hooks and eyes, and is reinforced with eight bones. Additional lacing inside the bodice front adjusts the distance between the two front bones, suggesting this was worn for maternity wear. The original lining and tulle were later replaced.
The front of the skirt composed of four machine-embroidered net flounces mounted over pink silk chiffon and a pink satin petticoat, and the back of the skirt has a single flounce round the hem. Waist-band fastens with hooks and eyes, and threaded through back of skirt waist with elastic.
