Acquired from Jenny Pearson Stomachers were flat, roughly triangular pieces of fabric that were pinned...
Timeline
1700s
Stomacher
1720s
Waistcoat
Acquired from Jenny Pearson Probably the earliest waistcoat in the John Bright Collection this example...
1730s
Waistcoat Panel
This front panel is all that remains of a once fine waistcoat. Its seam lines...
1740s
Suit
This man’s suit, comprising a coat, waistcoat and breeches, was acquired in Paris. It appears...
1750s
Panel
This panel, likely to have been woven in the Spitalfields district of London, the centre...
1760s
Baby’s Gown
This gown would have been worn by a baby for a formal occasion, such as...
1770s
Coat
By the last quarter of the 18th Century simplicity was becoming equated with elegance in...
1780s
Coat
By the last decades of the 18th Century wool had taken over from silk as...
1790s
Waistcoat
The number of surviving cream or white cotton waistcoats embroidered in metal thread with swags,...
1800s
Shoe
Acquired from the costume designer Dinah Collin. Found abandoned in a theatre more than thirty...
1810s
Stole
The production of luxury accessories such as the fashionable stoles of the early 19th Century...
1820s
Stole
The production of luxury accessories such as the fashionable stoles of the early 19th Century...
1830s
Shoes
These delicate shoes have been made of straw and horsehair, also known as crin, intricately...
1840s
Bonnet
Until the mid 20th Century etiquette required women to cover their heads outside their own...
1850s
Braces
Braces were worn to keep trousers in place throughout the 19th Century and the first...
1860s
Overbodice
This unlined underbodice of pale yellow silk shot with silver grey fitted over the bodice...
1870s
Dress
This style of one piece dress, cut from shoulder to hem without a complete waist...
1880s
Hat
This style of hat, often referred to as a post boy or postilion hat because...
1890s
Braces
Braces were worn to keep trousers in place throughout the 19th Century and the first...
1900s
Suit
This practical suit, ideal for walking and other outdoor pursuits, has been made from warm,...
1910s
Child’s Suit
This small boy’s two piece suit of cool, comfortable, practical linen is simply cut for...
1920s
Dress
Acquired from the costume designer Shirley Russell The loose structure of this summer afternoon dress...
1930s
Fabric Sample
‘Cornish Farm’, in common with many of his designs, is clearly based upon one of...
1940s
Suit Jacket
Label ‘Modèle Molyneux 48 Grosvenor Street London Made in England’ After having worked for the...
1950s
Hats
Shallow, brimless, symmetrical shapes sitting squarely on top of, or lightly hugging, neat short hairstyles...
1960s
Dress
Acquired from Hermione Harris This evening dress was worn by Hermione Harris, later an eminent...
1970s
Dress
Label ‘Jean Muir London’ Unlike many fashion designers who became successful in the 1960s and...
These garments belonged to the late Chilean artist Mariella Phillips who moved to London to...
18th Century Overview
The silhouette of the early 18th Century is suggested here with a reproduction gown, made by Cosprop, that frames an original stomacher, one of the earliest pieces in the collection. Some fine examples of 18th Century dress, including gowns of brocaded silk, embroidered waistcoats and ornate stomachers, can be found in this section.
19th Century Overview
This dress dates from the beginning of a century which sees the evolution of the female silhouette from high-waisted tubular dresses, through bell-shaped skirts and full sleeves, to elaborate gowns worn over cage-crinolines and bustles.
An outline of these fashion changes can be seen in the Dresses section.
20th Century Overview
The relatively simple line of this dress marks the move away from fashions dependent upon unnatural understructures, such as the crinolines and bustles of the 19th Century, towards more practical clothing attuned to new lifestyles in which work, leisure, sport and two world wars played a significant part.
Garments in this section include costumes worn in Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes productions, which had a major impact not just upon the ballet world but also on international fashion, souvenirs from two coronations, and suits, dresses and accessories block-printed by the firms Footprints and Crysede.