Georgian Dressmaking on Film
One of the most fun projects we have staged at Paxton House was our Georgian Dressmaking Live! when two talented University of Glasgow students of textile history spent a week in our Picture Gallery painstakingly constructing a Georgian gown using traditional techniques. As visitors stopped to watch, the knowledgeable students had chance to explain, not just what they were doing, but also details about the fashions of the 1770s from caps and shoes to dresses. They discussed the lifestyles of dressmakers or mantua makers in Georgian Scotland and explored some of the life of Penelope Home, the owner of Paxton House, who probably owned dresses just like this one.
The finished project, a fashionable sackback dress made of lightweight printed Indian cotton, is now on display in the Drawing Room and will be seen by everyone who books a tour of Paxton House. We recorded part of the project on film and have just posted two videos which review the project in full, breaking down the construction of the dress day by day before its final completion and modelling. Watching Cait wearing the dress and walking through the rooms at Paxton, just as Penelope Home must have done, really bring the house and the period to life. You can watch the videos here on our Conservation Stories web page.
