Description:  This day dress was worn by Marion Sambourne once her period of mourning for her father who died in 1884 had finished. The dress is made up of a dark green silk velvet bodice and a green silk skirt brocaded with large spots. The cuirasse bodice is cut in panels from shoulder to hip, with a prominent bustle and a wide train at the back. It has spotted green silk facings and trims and a high standing collar. The full-length sleeves have a double frill at the cuffs. The skirt is pleated at the front from hip to hem, with a green silk velvet border beneath. This sombre but fashionably styled outfit would have been worn for formal afternoon occasions. The designer of the dress is unknown. It dates from circa 1885.

This dress is part of the Messel Dress Collection, which includes six generations of one family’s clothes dating from 1870 - 2005.

Loaned by The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Linley Sambourne House Museum to Brighton Museum & Art Gallery in 2000