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Materials: Purple and white gingham tabby
weave silk, cotton muslin lining, brass hooks and eyes.
Provenance: This jacket traces back to an
18th century Massachusetts family. Rebecca Kingsbury (b. 1713, d. 1807) of West
Dedham, MA. married Nathaniel Gay on April 10, 1740. I believe that the original
owner of this spencer was their granddaughter, Susannah Gay Plimpton.
Condition: Perfect. One tiny worn
spot on right cuff.
Measurements: Sh-Sh, 15"; B,
32"; W, 24"; Slv L, 25"; Jacket L, 11".
Comments: The English Lord Spencer
(1758-1834) first popularized a short, fitted jacket for men in the last quarter
of the 18th century. On both sides of the Atlantic women adopted this
style in the late 1790s and it remained in fashion until the 1820s. The
silk on this spencer is incredibly soft. And although the spencer looks looks
unworn, the cuffs were at one time taken in about 1.5". For a similar
spencer, please see page 98 of the Kyoto Institute's costume book, Revolution in
Fashion 1715-1815. The one at the Kyoto has the same type of collar and sleeves
as the spencer offered here.
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