Size 8-18 Short Gown with Collar or Facings c. 1790-1815

This is based on two original short gowns in the Daughter’s of the American Revolution Museum in Washington DC. These are easy to make and were worn widely in America after the 1780s with a rising waistline in the 1790s. The body is made of one piece of fabric extending from front to back over the shoulders with a curve cut out under the the arms slit up the front and a neckline cut out of the middle. Both original short gowns were made of cotton fabric, one printed the other plain white. For example, in The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, London of 1806, in a theft trial a team of four thieves “was indicted for feloniously stealing” among other items “one velvet spencer trimmed with lace, value 2 l.”