Eleanor Wetherley – Belford Museum

This dress was created for a small, volunteer run museum who were updating their exhibitions. They requested a gown in a style which could have been worn by the lady of the house, Eleanor. A young woman who looked after her father and kept a diary.

We opted for a modest bib-fronted gown in a coloured sprigged cotton with self-stripe and rose design. Different from the popular white dresses so often seen created for the Regency period, this style and fabric would have been a sensible choice for a woman who may not have had the used of a full time ladies maid and who needed the practicality of a coloured dress without being too flamboyant.