1850s ~ cotton mourning dress
“Black mourning dress; thin, almost transparent fabric; short sleeves; top of silk and wool material with two rows of like material sewn on with piping and hemmed at edges; off the shoulder neckline; hook and eyes down back; lined with glazed cotton; pleated at waist in front and back; seven whale bone stays in lining; skirt gathered at waist; bell shaped; bottom bound with black woven tape. The donor of the dress said the garment originally belonged to a woman from Simsbury who attended the Litchfield Female Academy.”{ via Litchfield Historical Society }
