1690 / 1700, London
1690 / 1700, London
- Identifier
- T.846N to P-1974
- Acquisition
- Purchased by public subscription
- Collection
- Technique
- Tabby (silk weave) 100%
- Tabby (silk weave) 79%
- Tabby (silk weave) 80%
- Embroidery 94%
- Embroidery 98%
- Embroidery 52%
- Embroidery 54%
- Embroidery 95%
- Embroidery 55%
- Embroidery 61%
- Depiction
- Floral motif 60%
- Floral motif 56%
- Floral motif 48%
- Floral motif 52%
- Floral motif 48%
- Geometrical motif 55%
- Geometrical motif 39%
- Production time
- Production place
- Type of object
Description
This cap was made for a doll, known as Lady Clapham, that is thought to have belonged to the Cockerell family, descendants of the diarist Samuel Pepys (1633-1703). The daughter of Pepys's nephew John Jackson (the son of his sister Pauline) married a Cockerell, who had a family home in Clapham, south London.
Designs & Designing
Lady Clapham offers a fine example of both formal and informal dress for a wealthy woman in the 1690s (Museum nos. T.846&A to Y-1974). Her formal outfit includes a mantua (gown) and petticoat, while her informal dress is represented by the nightgown (a dressing gown rather than a garment worn to bed) and petticoat. Accessories such as the stockings, cap and chemise (a body garment) are very valuable since very few items from such an early period survive in museum collections. Equally important is the demonstration of how these clothes were worn together.
Ownership & Use
Dolls were widely produced in the 17th century, although very few survive, due to the wear and tear they usually undergo. The high quality of Lady Clapham and her clothes indicates that she would have been expensive. There is little evidence of use, which suggests that she was admired by adults rather than played with by children. Doll's lawn cap with wire and ribbon, London, 1690-1700 Circular doll's cap consisting of the cap, wire and ribbon. The cap is made of spotted lawn edged in English bobbin lace which falls into two lappets on either side of the face. It has a graduated double frill ('Monte la haut'), a narrower frill in front and a taller frill behind. The frill is supported by a wire covered in muslin formed in a semi-circle with eight radiating spokes graduating to the highest in the centre. The cap is circled with pink silk taffeta ribbon which is twisted about the cap, and is tied in two bows and lined with brown silk. The ribbon is padded in between and sewn to a cotton band which forms a base to attach to the doll's head. The cap is secured by a linen cord drawn through the back breadth.