Day dress
Jay's Ltd
Category
Costume
Date
c. 1910
Materials
Silk and cotton
Order this imageCollection
Scotney Castle, Kent
NT 793363
Caption
On a fine day in early summer 1910, Mary Rosamond Anstruther (1877–1958) wore this striking cream and black striped silk day dress below a wide-brimmed straw hat (NT 793364) while she sat for her portrait on the balustrade above the gardens at Scotney Castle. With light, billowing sleeves and black sash pulled tightly at the waist, the dress is a beautiful example of the flowing grace of Edwardian dress style, which nevertheless required a boned bodice worn over a corset to create its curvaceous look. The dress was chosen by the artist, Sir James Jebusa Shannon RA (1862–1923), who instructed Anstruther on where to purchase it, before composing the sitter wearing the dress for his portrait (NT 792039). Photographs also survive showing her sitting for the artist as he worked (NT 793485). Together, the dress, painting and photographs provide a rare insight into the engagement between artist and sitter at a particular moment in the early 20th century. Emma Slocombe
Summary
Cream and black striped silk day dress by Jay's Ltd of London, c. 1910. Worn by Mary Rosamond Anstruther (1877–1958) with a wide-brimmed straw hat (NT 793364) for a portrait on the balustrade above the gardens at Scotney Castle painted by Sir James Jebusa Shannon RA (1862–1923). Photographs also survive showing her sitting for the artist as he worked (NT 793485).
Provenance
Part of the Hussey Collection. The contents were bequeathed to the National Trust in 2006 by Mrs Elizabeth Hussey.
Marks and inscriptions
Waitband of bodice: By appointment to the Queen, Jay's Limited, Regent St, London
Makers and roles
Jay's Ltd, dressmaker
References
Antrobus and Slocombe 2025: Helen Antrobus and Emma Slocombe, 100 Things to Wear: Fashion from the collections of the National Trust, National Trust 2025, pp. 160-161.