Leavitt family coat-dress, Eastport, ca. 1830
Item 105363 info
Maine Historical Society
This two-piece silk satin weave ensemble is a classic example of the full gigot fashion. A matching capelet called a pereline, fits over the dress, held in place by a belt. The ensemble’s deep purple silk was expensive, probably dyed with imported logwood and other natural substances used for purple coloring before the advent of chemical dyes. This garment pre-dates the earliest experimental chemical dyes by more than twenty years. William Perkins of England extracted mauve, the first coal tar dye in 1856, but it took decades before the chemical dye industry was established.
Associated with the Leavitt Family, likely Harriet Lamphrey Leavitt (1802-1840), the purple fabric is a testament to the family’s success in the merchant trades. Eastport’s active seaport likely influenced the trend-conscious design, as fashion spread through trade and travel. Vessels into Eastport increased by 800% between 1830 and 1833, largely due to new favorable British shipping terms. This influx likely impacted Eastport society in several ways, including fashion.
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