Conserving a Rare 360-Year-Old Dress | Behind the Scenes at Hampton Court Palace
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ส.ค. 2024
- This rare historic dress known as the Silver Tissue Dress is 360 years old. Explore behind the scenes at the Textile Conservation Studio, and discover how this remarkable dress from the reign of Charles II is carefully prepared for display, celebrating the craftsmanship and beauty of a dress that has survived since The Stuarts were on the throne.
00:00 Welcome to the Textile Conservation Studio at Hampton Court
00:23 The Silver Tissue Dress
00:39 The history of the dress
01:30 Why the dress is so rare
01:55 How to conserve a dress like this
02:49 How is the dress made?
03:27 Finer details of the dress
04:30 Celebrating craftsmanship and design
This dress can be seen as part of the Crown to Couture exhibition at Kensington Palace opening April 2023 - www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-pal...
Special thanks to the Fashion Museum Bath for the loan of this dress.
It would be great if they could do a computer image of the gown to shown how it would have looked originally, with the shine and glimmer the silver would have had without the dullness of time. I'm sure it was spectacular.
I was hoping for that or an artist's rendition!
What's left to the imagination is quite probably more beautiful than a computer could do justice
@@k49821 Me too!
@@cassandrareedy7369 I'm afraid I struggled to imagine the dress as we only got bits and pieces of it, never the entire view. I would have loved a recreation.
I'd rather see one of the many wonderful historical costumers recreate it completely. Then it could be worn and we could we how it moves and drapes and behaves on the body, as well as having a wonderful display of what it would have looked like new, before the silver tarnished and the will became dull.
Wow I really hope Kim Kardashian doesn’t see this
Yes she'd make short work of it
😅 for real…
Haha!! 😂😂😂
🍑
☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️
I just imagine that the original wearer was so enamored with the dress and what it stood for and the memories it represented. That she hid the dress away, safe and secure. Only to be forgotten after her mortal release for hundreds of years. Such precious whispers of the past.
Especially if she wore it to King Charles 2nd's Court.
Maybe she performed felatio on the king. Far more likely than being enamored with this dress and being so sentimental. People didn't really think like that particularly not this class in this era
@@justinwilliams7290 🤦♀️ no, women are definitely more sentimental around clothes and pretty things. There’s a reason Monica Lewinsky got made fun of 😂
I wonder if it was her wedding dress. Cloth of silver was popular for bridal attire of the time. Perhaps she had planned to be buried in it (people were often buried in their finest attire) & the dress was stored away for this purpose & later forgotten.
@janedoll3237 Kim Kardashian join the chat. 💅
Astonishing that this exists after being worn 360 years ago! Hard to wrap my head around that. Much respect to the conservators who work so hard to repair and maintain these amazing garments. I cannot imagine how stressful it could be working on something like this. Just amazing!
These episodes should be 45 minutes longer.
I can't imagine the stress and excitement of working on such a delicate, beautiful dress.
What a jaw dropping garment. I can’t believe how beautiful it still is, after almost 400 years. Just Imagining it on the original wearer, silver glinting under candle light, the rustling of the silk as she moved…it’s so incredibly enchanting
The entire dress....stunning but that lace. The craftsmanship and skills leave me speechless. Thank you so much for sharing this dress with us. :)
Hello 👋 how’re you doing?
It is amazing to think of the skill it took to make this dress, and without modern tools.
Bobbin lace making in its self very time consuming and a great skill
It's something close to a miracle to find such a fine gown from so long back - not altered or turned into another item - but preserved as it was first created. What an amazing find - I wonder how that happened - what series of events let it come down to us intact?
Ditto - I would like to know where it's been for the last 300 years and how the conservators got it.
I can only imagine how elegant it looked back when it was in its heyday, and how the Lady who wore it must have been so stunning when she wore it.
Just imagine the silver thread glistening in the light of the candles and oil lamps as they flickered! She must have looked like she was glittering like a star! I imagine she felt some sentimental attachment to the dress, so she left it as is, tucked away in a trunk or armoire. Maybe as she aged and wanted to reminisce, she’d take it out to lovingly fondle the fabric.
Thankfully, whatever the reason it remained as it was, it can now be preserved and serve as a sort of window into the past. A veritable and tangible link to the aristocracy of the 1600’s and the fashions therein.
Hats off to you Ann-Marie for being able to work on that dress without shaking! I'd have been afraid to even breathe on it! Sure wish it could talk....what a story it could tell! Thank you!
When I go to museums I go to appreciate and marvel at the craftswomen and men who put so much of their heart and talent into these pieces.
Amen to that for sure.☺️🇨🇦
It would be lovely to see what the fabric looked like hundreds of years ago. I can only imagine how it shined in the light. Age has certainly darkened it because of the nature of the metal thread.
Yes! I imagine it looked amazing in candlelight
I found a few 1880’s Worth gowns online made of silver fabric. Perhaps that’s a similar sheen?
To see what the fabric would have looked like, search for 'silver tissue saree', it's still very popular in India for wedding sarees. Unfortunately if you search for 'silver tissue fabric' it mostly brings up synthetic lamé. 😔
Actually pure silver (without the alloy of copper added to make sterling silver) is still quite white. Not shining maybe, but still light.
What a glorious dress that would have been to wear. It's a shame there isn't a painting of it being worn.
I would have liked even more time and exploration of the dress in the video. So interesting!
I would have loved it if an illustration had been included to show how the dress would have looked when it was originally worn. It's hard to get a picture in your mind's eye of how striking the silver and white lace would have been. It's a fantastic video though.
It would be very lovely to see the dress once it’s ready for display. I hope you post another video.
This is a stunning dress. The work you do is so important. I would love to see an artist's rendering of what the lady would have looked like wearing this dress. How tall was she and what size?
And it has pockets!!! :-) wonderful conservation work
I am grateful for the person that created this wonderful dress and so grateful for the people that dedicate their lives to preserving our history.
I feel an incredible admiration and respect for conservators of art of all kinds 😯👏
I want to see more of it!
That is stunning and incredibly fascinating! I read once that the oldest complete gown we had was a silver tissue gown from the 1600’s sometime; is this that gown? (It’s also something I read 15+ years ago, things could have changed since then). Either way, it’s so interesting to see how much care goes into looking after these pieces!
This is the gown you are talking about. It's kept at the Costume Museum at Bath.
@@fairislecat6413 how exciting! Thanks so much for answering my question. Obviously it’s something I’ve remembered vaguely for a long time; I’m glad I got to actually “see” it!
Im trying to imagine how gorgeous it would have looked in full candlelight.
First of all, the skill level of every person involved in the creation of this dress had to be at the highest level imaginable - true experts in their fields!! This royal dress must have been the 1st true Cinderella Dress of its time!!
I would like to have also heard how they received this dress? Did the descendants just donate it to the Conservation Society?
A stunning dress! I can’t even imagine what the other high level aristocracy went on to create - in order to COMPETE with this dress!!
😊
A labor of love.
It’s so amazing to see how this gorgeous dress was made and to think about how many months it took to make the fabric, the lace, and everything! I would love to have seen how the dress looked mounted after the conservation, with soft lights around it, not directly on the fabric.
I'm so glad the silver didn't tarnish like I would have expected. Silk is amazing
It is a privilege for us to see “behind the scenes” of these beautiful dresses that are displayed. The love and care taken by all who work on them is a testament of their training over the years - and without this we may never have had the opportunity to see what was worn many years ago. Thank you all 🙏
I love these videos so much.
I do wish you had a drawing or recreation of how the dress would have looked in its prime.
Why so short!!! 😭😭😭 This is absolute gold!!!!!!
What a fun job she has, and of course what an honor to work on this material
I love the passion for restoring history.
Thank you for sharing. ❤️💯
Fabulous
Wow, how awesome that the dress has lasted so long! Great work by the conservationists.
This is incredible, this has survived so long. I am speechless. Thank you to the wearer, these historians and conservators!
This is so incredible to be holding someone's life's work in your hands. I think of how many hours went into making that and being able to handle the past in that way. It makes my heart skip a beat. ❤️❤️❤️😍
Your talent to be able to do this is amazing.
Those ladies do such painstaking and detailed work. I can’t imagine how gentle they have to be with those beautiful pieces of clothing. So cool to see.
Painstaking work that needs a lot of patience, dedication and passion for old costumes and/or dresses. Amazing.
Fascinating how old this dress is and her knowledge/delicate care is. I love the history of fashion.❤
I admire restoration work. I wish I could learn the skill.
Someone should make a historic recreation of this and many dresses so the original can be preserved and we can still see how the dress would have looked and moved at the time.
I can just imagine the thrill of wearing this in the candle light. Stunning.
What a, lovely job working on these garments must be very gratifying
The work you are doing is so amazing. Thank-you for conserving the cultural heritage.
This dress is discolored by wear and age. Just imagine what it looked like when new.
Loved this video. Hope we'll see more costumes. So nice to imagine the people that wore the clothing and the events that were part of their lives.
Absolutely incredible! It's lovely to see a Restoration-era dress that has survived.
Wow, that this exists after being worn 360 years ago! 😮👏♥️👍
One of the many reasons I love the UK - the care and love of their heritage🥹 God bless guys! Thank you for sharing this beautiful process with us. The dress is so gorgeous I want to cry🤍
I’m a subscriber now.. thank you TH-cam!
I wish we could have seen the entire thing together and for more than a split second!
Firstly as expected the proportions of the dress are tiny. A petite woman wore that dress. Also to have such a stunning dress worn by a member of the minor, rural nobility - imagine how a duchess would’ve dressed.
Most likely this dress was made to be worn at court. Most likely this dress was made specifically for that occasion and only ever worn the once, or a few times max considering how delicate the fabric was even back then. Even higher nobility didn’t wear the finest clothes they had all the time. If they’re at their home and not entertaining there is not a small chance that they wore bedgowns or “easier to wear” garments when just hanging around at home. But yes, it would’ve been nicer fabrics than the average peasant. The showy and (often) more ridiculous looking ensembles were always made to be seen by society/court.
Knowledge based on years of obsessions about historical clothing and class systems/etc.
@@amandabrooks6209 She literally said it’s a court gown in the introduction. It didn’t take a genius to come to such a conclusion, yes.
Looks like she was just a wee toot 🤗
I think that the lace industry was in that area and she was not only turning up at court with a beautiful dress but she was promiting the lace industry in the area. A lot of women worked from home making this bobbin lace.
They had to compete with lace makers in Holland that became the 'thing' in London. Si I think she was doing a bit of PR for the local lace industry.
What a great job! I wish we could see a drawing or animation of what the original dress looked like.
I'm so glad this work of art is being restored and taken care of properly. Absolutely amazing 👏
An absolutely stunning piece of craftsmanship!
I heard that some types of lace made around this time are just not made any more, so it's a very beautiful time-capsule...
I performed the layman's equivalent of this restoration for my sister when she found a bargain dress from the showroom at a bridal shop. It was a very unique dress with organza sleeves that have been switched down inside the plastic protecting cover. Alongside with a lot of other stuff that had fallen apart from having dozens of people try it on over the years.
This is why I love history.
This was so magical. I could have watched for hours ❤
Such a beautiful garment!
That is STUNNING. Just amazing. Thank you for sharing this treasure and so clearly cherishing it, and celebrating the craftspeople who created it.
What an honor to work on such a piece of history! It must take such dedication, and love.
Imagine wearing this dress! I feel the bodice and skirt were kept together because the lady it was made for had such emotional feelings about the dress. If only that dress could talk!
Beautiful!
Brilliant conservation methods these days. Thank you for this info.
That’s beautiful!!!
Amazing.
My admiration for this gown is marred by the knowledge that then, as now, those who enabled the life of luxury of its owner and her class group lived hard lives in relative if not absolute poverty and were expected to 'respect' the rich as their ' betters'.
Absolutely incredible
Absolutely fascinating! Congratulations! Absolutely amazing workmanship!
A better Macro lens would help, but an awesome video of a fabulous piece. Hats off to Anne-Marie!
Absolutely amazing ❤️🌹
what is she going to do about the mold? Argh, I wanted more!
Incredible!!!
Love all these videos
Will this gorgeous dress be shown when it is finished so that wee Cann see what it would look like on a form, (or on the female owner)?
Yes it will be mounted on a mannequin
That is amazing. Just stunning!
Absolutely fabulous! I really appreciate this close-up look at such beautiful work and artistry.
Divine ❤
The efforts to just conserve the trim! I cannot imagine what goes into the care of the whole garment, definitely eye-opening to the work involved I'm afraid to say I just imagined you washed things and stuck them on a tailors dummy and that was it.
Stunning
gorgeous ... thank you so much for sharing
Amazing! What a treasure! So glad to see that this beautiful dress can be salvaged!
So gorgeous. I love these restoration videos. Wonderful
Just amazing and so beautiful!💜💜💜
Beautiful
What a lovely job
So beautiful and cool
This is absolutely breathtaking
What a cool job!
Ethafoam is what most new bobbin lace pillows are made of. You pin out and shape new lace and fiber textiles even today. It's amazing the nothing ate the natural fibers also.💖💖💖💖
so pretty. glad to see it's being cared for
This is amazing I love it❤
Thankyou so much for this video. Thoroughly fascinating. I wish it was an hour-long documentary frankly.
Stunningly beautiful dress!
Absolutely gorgeous dress
Verging on ethereal. What a remarkable piece of mastery. I would love to know more about Lady Theophilia. And also more about that stunning backdrop fabric with the floral pattern.
Such an exquisite and beautiful dress, you have done an amazing job. ✌🍁
Magnificent