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Fashion Design

1948-49 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is a fashion design in pencil showing a woman wearing a long evening dress, designed by Marjorie Field in the 1940s for the haute couture firm Field Rhoades which was registered in the London street directories at 77, South Audley Street, London W1 for the years 1948 to 1949. The skirt is full and balloons out at the back from the narrow waist. The drawing is clsoely related to E.482-2005; the poses and profiles of the woman are identical and the silhouette is extremely similar. One may have been traced from the other, and since E.482-2005 is the more worked-up design, with heavier shading, more details, and text descriptions, it probably shows a later stage in the design process.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Pencil on paper
Brief description
Fashion design for evening dress by Marjorie Field, 1940s.
Physical description
A pencil drawing of a woman in profile, facing to the left and placing her hand on the back of a chair, wearing a long-sleeved, floor-length evening dress. The skirt balloons out from the waist at the back.
Dimensions
  • Height: 33cm
  • Width: 20.3cm
Production typeHaute couture
Marks and inscriptions
  • A crown with 'Eden Grove / Bond / TUB SIZED - AIR DRIED' (The paper has a watermark, which reads, beneath a crown as above. This is the same watermark as E.480-1005.)
  • 'Mrs Tilley' (Top right on the back, in pencil.)
Credit line
Given by Paul Williamson
Object history
The provenance can be traced back to Gwen Mandley, an artist who was a friend of the designer, Marjorie Field.
Production
The haute couture firm Field Rhoades was registered in the London street directories at 77, South Audley Street, London W1 for the years 1948 to 1949.

Attribution note: Mrs Tilley is probably the name of the client for whom this evening dress was designed.
Summary
This is a fashion design in pencil showing a woman wearing a long evening dress, designed by Marjorie Field in the 1940s for the haute couture firm Field Rhoades which was registered in the London street directories at 77, South Audley Street, London W1 for the years 1948 to 1949. The skirt is full and balloons out at the back from the narrow waist. The drawing is clsoely related to E.482-2005; the poses and profiles of the woman are identical and the silhouette is extremely similar. One may have been traced from the other, and since E.482-2005 is the more worked-up design, with heavier shading, more details, and text descriptions, it probably shows a later stage in the design process.
Collection
Accession number
E.481-2005

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Record createdFebruary 23, 2006
Record URL
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