Woman's skirt

Mehetable Stoddard Sumner (Welles) (American, 1784–1826)

about 1815–20

Place of UseBoston, Massachusetts, United States

Place of Manufactureprobably Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Medium/TechniqueSilk patterned with warp and weft floats, silk satin

DimensionsOverall: 118.1 cm (46 1/2 in.)

Credit LineGift of Emily Welles Robbins (Mrs. Harry Pelham Robbins) and the Hon. Sumner Welles, in memory of Georgiana Welles Sargent

Accession number49.883

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ClassificationsCostumes

Collections

InscriptionsWritten in ink on fabric label sewn inside at waist: "Empire skirt worn probably with spencer, white or colored, by Mehetable Stoddard Sumner b. 1784 daughter of Increase Sumner Governor of Massachusetts. She [married] Benjamin Welles of Boston August 1st 1815 died 1826 Period 1815-20"

ProvenanceWorn by Mehetable Stoddard Sumner (Mrs. Benjamin Welles), Boston, MA (b. 1784 - d. 1826); 1826, given by descent to her granddaughter Miss Georgiana Welles Sargent, New York, NY (b. 1858); 1949, gift of Emily Welles Robbins (Mrs. Harry Pelham Robbins) and the Hon. Sumner Welles, in memory of Georgiana Welles Sargent to the MFA (Accession date: September 15, 1949); June 25, 2014, deaccessioned by the MFA for sale through Augusta Auctions, Bellows Falls, VT.