- Visit
- The Museum
- The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres
- Oldfields - Lilly House & Gardens
- Gardens & Greenhouse
- The Toby
- Miller House & Garden
- Family Visits
- Adult Group Tours
- Accessibility
- The Museum
- Events & Programs
- Exhibitions
- Collections
- Research
- Give & Join
- About
- CalendarShopLogin
Manufacturer
Creation date
1875
Materials
silk satin, orange blossoms, silk net with cotton petticoat
Mark Descriptions
Label: I. W. CALEY Dress and Mantle Maker, Norwich
Dimensions
skirt: L: 43 in. (front) L: 67 in. (back) | bodice: L: 24 1/2 in.
Credit line
Bequest of Allen Whitehill Clowes
Accession number
2005.17
Collection
Not Currently On View
Ellen Seppings wore this dress when she married Josiah Pratt Clowes in England.
In the 1870s, the style of skirts changed from a full-bell shape to the half-bell shape, creating a flatter, smoother effect in the front and moving fullness towards the back, using the bustle.
The tradition of using orange blossoms came to the West from China through the ancient Silk Road. During the Crusades, the custom was brought from the East to Spain and then to the rest of Europe.
The orange blossom is a symbol of fertility because it is one of the few trees that blooms and bears fruit at the same time.
The dress belonged to Ellen Sepping (1839-1914) who married Josiah Pratt Clowes in 1875. These are the parents of George Henry Alexander Clowes who married Edith Hinkel and who was the father of Allen Whitehill Clowes.