In a message dated 8/20/03 4:29:42 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< If anyone is going to London in the next month or so then a visit to the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace and the Queens gallery is well worth while though. Along with the chance to see the paintings and decorations which are usually in place, there is a special show of paintings connected with the coronation, 50 years ago this year) and including the Queens coronation dress and robe. Beautiful. I also noted a large painting of Queen Victoria in her coronation robes. It is by George Hayter and the dress itself intrigued me. Was it lace? or could it be embroidered fabric? like Ayeshire work perhaps. I have been trying to find out about it since with no luck. Has anyone any information about this dress at all? >> -------- Dear Jean - Here is a book with pictures of the 1838 Coronation garments you are interested in, plus a lot more: "In Royal Fashion - The Clothes of Princess Charlotte of Wales and Queen Victoria 1796-1901" by Kay Staniland, published by the Museum of London 1997, 192 pages. ISBN 0-904818-55-1 (cased) ISBN 0-904818-77-2 (limp) - that is what it says "limp". Cost $33 US For people who cannot afford to go to London, maybe this is the next best thing. The book will cost less than travel and meals for one day, and it contains much to study in detail. This is an art book, containing reproductions of many paintings, and wonderful photographs of costumes and royal laces on mannequins made to fit the clothes. The text is extremely interesting. You must have this book if any aspect of this subject is of interest to you! To answer your question - from the book's description with the portrait by Hayter: "He noted how, at the first sitting, the Queen tripped ascending her little throne and accidentally put her foot through the lace of her 'colobium sindonis'. The portrait shows clearly the 'colobium' and 'armilla' worn under the 'dalmatica', and the morse fastening it." On the previous page is a photograph of the 'colobium sindonis', which was a coronation garment of such antiquity that its original significance and form are unknown. It had deep borders of Honiton lace. This garment disappeared at the time of the Queen's death. It should be possible to borrow this book from InterLibrary Loan, or a similar book-finding service offered to scholars by libraries in many nations. Jean Peach reported recently that she has been able to use this library service in the U.K. I cannot rave enough about this book. Was just describing it to a new Canadian lace-collector/friend on Monday!! We met in Lace ID class at Ithaca last year, and again at the IOLI Convention. One of my favorite stories about Queen Victoria is at the end of the book. Her diminished height in old age seems never to have been recorded by her physicians. When mannequins were made to fit her last gowns - for photography - it was discovered she had shrunk by the late 1890's to 4' 7" or 8", and had expanded to a 46" waist. In 1837 (the year of her accession to the throne) her height was believed to have been 4' 11", and her appearance in portraits is of a very petite slender woman. I am certain I reviewed this book on Arachne before. Apologies to those for whom this is a repeat. Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
