Costume Collection
The Merchant's House Museum's collection holds some of the most significant 19th century costumes and textiles in New York City. The costume collection includes 420 articles of clothing – primarily women’s dresses and their accompanying accessories, such as petticoats, collars, undersleeves, and chemisettes.
The majority of the dresses range from 1840-1885, with two exquisite examples of 1830s dresses and an extremely rare dress ca. 1813-1815 that is in excellent condition. Forty of the dresses are documented to have belonged to the women in the Tredwell family. The Museum’s collection also boasts a high-style 1872 wedding dress complete with petticoat, orange blossom headdress, earrings, and satin boots.
One of the most unusual items in the collection is a mid 1890’s fancy dress costume which imitates an 18th century ‘sack-back’ gown and matching petticoat. It would have been worn to a costume ball. Even rarer is a mid-19th century corset, still in remarkable condition.
ca. 1840
Crumpled, torn -- and missing a sleeve -- a burgundy-and-black geometric floral 1840s cotton voile dress was restored to its original glory by textile conservator Helen Kapodistrias.
ca. 1840-1850
Day dress of silk with purple, black and narrow white stripes. The bias-cut bishop sleeves have been pleated at the armhole and wrists. The dress dates from the 1840’s but was later completely altered to update the style. The front bodice originally had a longer point, which was shortened.
ca. 1852-1858
Bodice and skirt of emerald green silk taffeta trimmed with back velvet. The double pointed front bodice with pagoda sleeves and cartridge pleated skirt are typical characteristics of the 1850’s.
ca. 1860-1865
Fancy dress of bronze silk taffeta with pagoda sleeves. The sleeves, front and back, are trimmed with passementerie braid and jet beads. The wide skirt was worn with a hooped (caged) crinoline.
ca. 1859-1864
Muslin summer dress printed with lovely meandering floral pattern in pink, red, tan, blue, green, and black. The ever-popular pagoda sleeves are caught up at the sides with self-fabric ruffles.
ca. 1870-1876
A summer ensemble consisting of a ruffled bodice and skirt. The muslin ground is printed with lavender flowers (violets), and the dress is trimmed with black lace. The back of the skirt has several cascading puffs typical of the early bustle period. The puffs are controlled on the interior of the skirt with a series of twill tapes and ties.
ca. 1876
Dress of black silk printed with green polka dots.
ca. 1872
Peach cream silk faille wedding dress with a fringed bodice and a sweeping train. Headpiece of silk orange blossoms with earrings to match.
Worn by Sarah Ann Tredwell at her wedding to Abram Furman Howard on October 16, 1872. Sarah Ann Tredwell was the granddaughter of Capt. John Tredwell, third cousin of Seabury Tredwell, who lived in the Merchant’s House.
The Museum's collection also holds the original cotton petticoat, and the satin high button shoes worn by the bride, as well as the wedding invitation and marriage certificate.
Photo copyright StanRies.com