Liberty evening dress

Full length silk evening dress made by Liberty and Company Ltd, 222 Regent Street, London in about 1908.

Once piece dress of turquoise figured silk with honeysuckle design and cream chiffon. Square neckline, elbow length sleeves, high waistline and small train at the back. The neckline is edged with pleated cream chiffon which is also gathered on the bodice front. Each shoulder of the bodice has blue silk panels which also edge the sleeves which are filled with panels of gathered cream silk chiffon. The skirt panels also of blue silk consist of a central front flat skirt panel inset with cream chiffon and a gathered train at the back.

The dress was worn by Lady Dorothy Howard, daughter of George Howard, Ninth Earl of Carlisle, artist and friend of the Pre-Raphaelites. She was lady-in-waiting to Princess Louise, artist and daughter of Queen Victoria. Lady Dorothy married Lord Henley. 

Artistic dresses were popular from 1900 with the wealthy. Liberty’s Department store in London made them although many were homemade. The Arts and Crafts movement championed by William Morris (1834-1896) influenced these styles. Dresses were medieval in style and richly embroidered. Artistic women who did not want to follow convention favoured these clothes.