Bustle dress

This elegant and well made garment was manufactured by in London by James Spence & Co. The company's legend is proudly embossed in gold on the inner waistband of the bodice - 'James Spence & Co / Costume and Mantle Manufacturers / St Paul's Churchyard'.

The dress is made from a dark maroon silk satin. The fitted, boned, double-breasted bodice features a high upright collar, trimmed with pink silk braid and silver metal cord, and two rows of vertical functional buttons. The fabric has been swathed and folded between the two rows of buttons for decorative affect. The sleeves are fitted and slightly gathered at the shoulder, with deep cuffs trimmed with a narrow cream net ruffle. The front of the jacket continues down into a deep V, and the centre-back sections are finished with a pair of overlapping petal shapes.

The collar and hem are faced with maroon coloured fine silk, while the button holes are faced with a fine cream silk. The bodice has been lined with a fine striped cotton twill with a tiny watch-pocket of self fabric hand-stitched onto the right front inside. There are seven whale bones encased in cotton and stitched to the lining but only for 2/3rds of their length.  The band fastens with a brass hook and eye and the collar with two brass hooks and hand stitched button hole bars.

The skirt opens at the centre back and has a slight train and is constructed with a centre front panel swathed in similar manner to the bodice. The skirt is gathered up to create a high bustle and a pocket is set into the right side seam. The  lining is darker shade maroon coloured cotton sateen and has a self fabric bustle pad attached to the centre back and waistband. The lining, which is stitched to the satin only at the side seams and waistband, is finished at the hem with a pleated drill of satin, lined with a black stiffened muslin. In turn the satin skirt is caught by a few stitched at regular short intervals at the front hem.