There's a black and white picture of this in George Wingfield Digby's
_Elizabethan Embroidery_. It's plate 22B. "The jacket or doublet
illustrated on Pl. 22B was given to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts by
Elizabeth Day McCormick. It comes from Kimberley in Norfolk where
Queen Elizabeth stayed in August 1578 with Sir Roger Woodhouse (who
was knighted at the time) on her way from Blickling to Cambridge. ...
It is embroidered in gold and silver with spangles and is trimmed
with gold lace. The design of daffodils is very unusual and it is in
brilliant condition. Remodelled in James I's reign, it has recently
been restored to original form." (p. 84)
If the picture shown in this book was taken after it was restored to
its original form, I'm very dubious that it's as early as 1578. It
looks very like all the other 1605+ jackets with the little hip
godets, etc.
Plate 22A is also purportedly associated with Queen Elizabeth, though
the styling is a bit odd. It's a cloth-of-silver bodice with
relatively narrow sleeves and a V in the neckline. "Pl. 22A shows
the famous Devereux heirloom belonging to Viscount Hereford. This
bodice with sleeves is extremely richly embroidered on a silver
ground, the floral pattern being entirely worked in gold and silver
thread and silks, mostly in tent, gobelin, dot, buttonhole, and
detached buttonhole stitches. It is the kind of embroidery which was
used for the finest of the sweet bags, as we have already seen, and
as a garment to wear, this bodice seems almost unbelievably ornate.
The design is made up of roses, peascods (showing their seeds),
forget-me-nots, tulips, cornflowers, columbine, iris, and pansy, the
flowers all intermingled with snakes, birds, caterpillars and
butterflies. The floral tendrils are worked as gold chains in chain
stitch with a certain amount of gold bullion and gold wire.
Tradition relates that when the Earl of Essex was in the Tower
awaiting execution this bodice was sent by his mother, the Countess
of Leicester, to the Queen." (p. 83)
Melanie Schuessler
On Sep 21, 2007, at 6:28 PM, Dawn wrote:
Alexandria Doyle wrote:
Is that an embroidered jacket or one of the knit ones? The Boston
MFA
seems to have several in their collection.
I'd love for this one you mention to have been an earlier version,
perhaps something Elizabeth might have worn as a child or young
princess, just so I can see if there was a progress in style or cut.
(sigh) Wishful thinking, that's all
I remember it being white linen, woven and not knit. It was a late
1500's style, I don't remember too much else about it, other than
all the metallic embroidery. There may have been metal lace. I've
been searching the MFA website, but have not found it in the online
collection yet.
I'm surprised Janet Arnold didn't find it when doing her book on
Elizabeth's clothing.
Dawn
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