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FrontRangeLiving.com -> Home Design -> Christening Gowns
 CHRISTENING
GOWNS: THE GARB CAST OFF FROM ANGELS
By Niki Hayden
Poised in a row, 19th century christening gowns could be cast
off costumes of angels. Long skirts billow and tiny sleeves sprout from ruffled,
smocked or embroidered bodices. With any imagination, miniature cherub wings
flutter in the background. Dresses of starched organza or lawn—impeccably
preserved—were destined for one special day of Holy Baptism and then passed
through a family to the next newborn.
Most gowns today are white but that’s
a new fashion in an ancient ceremony. In England, the baptismal fabrics were
brightly dyed throughout the 17th century until the French introduced
the embellished white dress. By the mid 18th century, cotton offered a soft but strong textile to embellish—the
perfect fabric for a baby.
 At the same time, a new social class made rich from the Industrial Revolution
in England clamored for beautiful clothes. Infants were no exception, and the
tradition continues: "Just look at a picture of Prince Charles in his
christening dress and I’m sure his was in the royal family," says Paula
Gins, a collector and dealer of fine linens.
Not all Christian churches practice baptism. The Society of Friends, also
known as the Quakers, is one example that does not. But christening remains
steeped in many church traditions, especially among the oldest branches of
Christianity, such as the Anglican, Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox Churches.
The christening of a baby in England’s 19th century Anglican
Church marked an important ceremony in the life of the family. Not only was the
baby welcomed into church life--the official state
church--but godparents promised to raise a child
should the parents die.
 "It not only was the first public showing of the baby in the Anglican
Church, but also a social experience," says Michelle Danson, a British-born
priest of the Episcopal Church in the United States. "In the past, Holy
Baptism was the removal of original sin," she says, "But now the focus
is that you die and rise with Christ—die from the old life and are born into
new life in Christ. Also, you are in a believing community and in that community
your faith is nurtured and grown. That’s why godparents should be chosen
carefully. They will be involved in the religious formation of the child."
 In 19th century England, the ceremony for some families might be
strictly a social experience, Michelle says, and a lavish show of pomp and
wealth. In an era when excess was never enough, christening gowns were
extraordinary. Queen Victoria’s choice for her daughter, which remains in the
British royal family, features a long skirt studded with exquisite embroidery.
Christening gowns traditionally were passed along in a family and the Queen
spared no expense for her first child’s public appearance.
Inside the gown, a separate layer was embroidered with the names of infants.
"The slips, the cursive white on white," Paula says "were where
they would embroider the name, date of birth, and the date of the christening. I
saw one from France and that must have had 30 names. It went way back, everybody
in the family wore it."
 Embroidered slips are nearly impossible to find today and antique christening
gowns are rare, too. So when Paula received a phone call from England, the news
was unexpected. "These were from a private collection at a manor house in
England," Paula says, holding up a christening gown of lace and embroidery.
"They all are 19th century and in the back of one, written in
tiny numbers, is the date 1835."
Paula collects linens from the 19th century, usually from England,
but she has received linens from all of Europe. Most Victorian women practiced
the needle arts in some important way. The Englishwoman who sold Paula the gowns
says that village women often used their own petticoats to sew a gown for their
newborns. But the wealthy commissioned cottage
workers—nearly all women—to embroider their linens, clothes and children’s
garments.
 Prior to the 19th century, all lace and embroidery was handwork.
Roman Catholic convents often schooled young village girls in needle arts.
Embroidery and lace fashioned by nuns, Paula says, set the standard for all
other work. Eventually, machines would carve inroads into the needlework cottage
industry. But wealthy benefactors tried at various times, to subsidize those
skilled in fine embroidery.
 "When Napoleon came into power, he was horrified that the industry had
disappeared and set about to change that with companies who came out with
embroidery patterns. They distributed them to the cottage industry women. If the
patterns were done well, they were purchased," Paula says. Patterns with
the shamrock are associated with Irish linens, the wheat stalk symbolized
England. Books of patterns, like a basket with ribbons, appeared in about 1880.
By the 20th century, the needle arts had disappeared as an
industry in much of Europe, although a few rare and delicate fabrics surfaced.
Paula mentions an intricate artwork called Appenzell, which came out of
Switzerland from 1900 to 1920. "It’s hard to find and very little of it
was made," she says. Perhaps that’s why collectors of Victoriana swoon
over rare needlework. Christening gowns now are framed, or hung as works of art
in a child’s room.
 The United States produced raw materials
like cotton to be sent abroad, but not a cottage industry dependent upon a
wealthy upper class. American women produced woven coverlets or pieced quilts,
often necessary items made from scraps.
The United States never mirrored the elaborate class system of Europe, with
its centuries of gentry providing piecework to women. Wealthy American
industrialists were more interested in developing machine work rather than
supporting traditional handcrafts. And, as for American women, they had little leisure
time, although many tried to fashion something tender and loving for their
newborns. "I have seen christening dresses made by the farmer’s wife and
they are crude," Paula says, about the makeshift, practical side of the
American woman. "An attempt was made to do a beautiful job, but they just
didn’t have the technique to do that kind of handwork. The woman on the horse
and wagon didn’t have time to do that work."
Regional Resources:
Paula Gins Antique Linens: 303-734-9095, e-mail: paulaginsantiquelinens@msn.com, www.paulaginsantiquelinens.com.
Paula also sells at the Denver Mart's World Wide Antiques Show: www.wwantiqueshows.com.
Jean Snow, The Apiary, 585 Milwaukee, Denver, 303-399-6017, Jean does not
specialize but carries a selection: tablecloths, sheets, napkins, runners,
French linens like toile (printed fabric of French rustic life in 1700s),
pillows, most linens date from 1800s and to modern.
Recommended reading: "Caring for Textiles" by Karen Finch and Greta
Putnam, 1977, Watson-Guptill, New York
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