Dress
Alice Frances Theodora Wythes, Marchioness of Bristol (1875 - 1957)
Category
Costume
Date
1905 - 1906
Materials
Textile and metal
Measurements
74cm (Length) x 72cm (Width)
Order this imageCollection
Ickworth, Suffolk
NT 852628.1
Caption
The 1906 General Election saw a divided and unpopular Conservative Party lose hundreds of seats across Britain to the Liberal Party. The Liberals embarked on a series of reforms designed to tackle poverty, inequality and injustice, aiming to improve the quality of life from cradle to grave. In Bury St Edmunds the victory of the Conservative candidate, Frederick Hervey (1863–1951), was widely celebrated. For almost a century, the Hervey family of Ickworth had represented the constituency in the House of Commons. During his campaign, Hervey’s daughters, Marjorie and Phyllis, wore distinctive party dresses decorated with symbols representing the policies and ideologies that Hervey was championing to his constituents. Painted by their mother, the dresses represent the colonies of the British Empire and the strength of British industries. The symbolism deployed tells us much about Hervey’s political views, showing his support for tariff reform that favoured trade with British colonies, as championed by Joseph Chamberlain (1836–1914). Both Chamberlain and leader of the party Arthur Balfour (1848–1930) are represented on the sash of Phyllis’s dress, their images cut out from paper. Helen Antrobus
Summary
A child's fancy dress in pink silk taffeta representing protection and colonies, with chiffon frills at the collar, cuffs and hem, a centre back fastening, a gilt braid frame around painted panels, metal decoration, lined with cream light-weight silk. Worn by Lady Phyllis MacRae at her father's election.
Provenance
Part of the Bristol Collection. Acquired by the National Trust in 1956 under the auspices of the National Land Fund, later the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
Makers and roles
Alice Frances Theodora Wythes, Marchioness of Bristol (1875 - 1957), sewer
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. 156-157.