Fashion Museum, Bath - A History of Fashion in 100 Objects

Whilst at the Bath Fashion Museum we looked at their new exhibition; A History of Fashion in 100 Objects.  Looking at these 100 items in this collection they show the story of fashions development from the 1600's until the present day.  This dress to the left is a Georgian design that would have been seen worn by the women of Bath during the mid 1700's.  What I found surprising about this dress is the striking yellow colour of the fabric.  I would have thought that this was too bright a colour for the period and would have been a hard colour to make.  

The dresses below look much more like the Robe a La Fransaise's that were typical of the period.  The decoration on these dresses, particularly the first white dress, is very fine and small which shows the wealth of the wearer as it would all have been done by hand.  

This yellow cotton dress of 1800 has been decorated with the Paisley Print that was very popular during the Regency period.  This dress is the complete opposite of the dresses above showing the sudden change in direction that fashion went in half a century.  These dresses below would have been made and worn during the 1880's and 1890's.  It was during the Victorian period that new dyes and making processes were being developed and so people were able to play with their clothes and the colours became darker and more varied.  I find that the dresses of this period appear very busy with a lot of decoration and frills appearing around the cuffs, neck and base of the skirt.  

 This dress from 1903 would probably have been worn for an evening party and includes lots of decoration.  As this dress includes several metres of fabric and much embroidery it would have cost an awful lot of money and would have been used a status symbol for the Lady to show to her friends.  The silhouette of the dress is typical of the Edwardian era and highlights the females waist and accentuates the curves created by the tight corset worn underneath.  

No 1 Royal crescent

The Royal Crescent marks the end of a series of buildings in Bath built by John Wood the Elder and John Wood the Younger.  They started building 1734 with Queen Square and finished with the Royal Crescent, built between 1767 and 1774.  This street was the first street to be created in the crescent shape anywhere in Europe and so it became one of the most popular addresses in Bath.  

Although the houses on this street were originally designed to be rented out to the wealthy who required a place to stay when in town, many people would often stay in these houses for many months at a time.  Many of the houses, except for No. 1 were able to benefit from stables, coach houses and gardens.  

The first known resident of No. 1 Royal Crescent was Irishman Henry Sandford from 1776 until 1796.  Sandford came to Bath when he was 57 after a 35 year career as an Irish MP.  

The Withdrawing Room

This room pictured above is located on the first floor of the house and is called The Withdrawing Room; in the Bath Journal in 1772 it said that this room featured "the most pleasing view of ... the whole sweep of the Crescent with the Country and Serpentine River."1  This room was used predominantly for entertaining and therefore it was the most lavish and highly decorated room in the house.  It was here that that the women would go to after dinner and would have been considered as their domain.  

The walls of this room have been decorated with silk damask that has been dyed to match the carpets of this room.  The Axminster carpet featured in this room was given to the Trust by Bernard Cayzer and in a 19th Century replica of an Aubusson design from the 1790's.  

The Lady's Bedroom

This is the Lady's Bedroom where she would sleep, dress and even receive visitors.  During the 1770's the heavier woollen or silk bed hangings were replaced with a lighter material such as cotton chintzes so that they are more easily washable.  Featured in this room, as with many bedrooms of the period, is a jib door that is concealed in the wall to keep the symmetry in the room whilst also allowing servants to come and go quietly.  The wall paper in this room was taken from a sample of wallpaper from the 1760's.  

The Gentleman's Bedroom

This would have been the bedroom of Henry Sandford and several pieces in this room take style elements of George Hepplewhite whose neoclassical style was popular in the 1780's.  Hepplewhite thought that the bed was the "an article of much importance" and the four poster design meant that the curtains could completely surround the bed for privacy.  The carpet and the wallpaper in this room are replicas of actual 18th Century designs.  During the Georgian period many favoured small and delicate patterns that were based on the architecture of the time in order to show elegance and neatness.  

1 - No.1 One Royal Crescent - Guide book