Wedding Dress
Period1865 - 1870
Place MadeNew Jersey, U.S.A.
MediumSatin, glazed cotton, silk
ClassificationsCostume, Women's
Credit LineGift of Mary Ella Dubois, 1947
Object number3193
DescriptionA woman's wedding gown consisting of a bodice and skirt. The fitted bodice includes a rounded collar with a piped edge, pagoda sleeves lined with light brown glazed cotton. The bodice's interior has an attached waist stay tape with a hook and eye closure and eight boned channels. The gown's skirt is very full, with a cartridge pleated waist and a rounded train. A separate waistband with attached bow and short ribbons fastens around the bodice waist with a double hook and eye closure.Curatorial RemarksThe wedding dress of Sarah Elizabeth "Lizzie" Smock is relatively simple in its design, relying instead on the luxurious heavy ivory-colored satin and details such as the carefully-fitted bodice, pagoda sleeves, and fine construction. Lizzie married Tunis Dubois in November 1870. The style of the dress, with its rounded skirts, pagoda sleeves, and fan-shaped bodice more closely dates the gown to the early 1860s rather than 1870. It is possible that the gown was worn by a relative or close friend, who then gave the gown to Lizzie for her own wedding. White as a wedding dress color was popularized after the 1840 wedding of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg. Victoria's elegant gown, trimmed with lace, inspired many brides to follow her lead. Many women, however, continued to chose a variety of colors for their wedding costumes in order to be able to wear the gown on future occasions. The Historical Association has a number of other Monmouth County-related wedding gowns in shades of burgundy, gray, and even brown.NotesThis ivory satin wedding dress was worn by lifelong Monmouth County resident Sarah Elizabeth Smock at her marriage to Tunis D. Dubois (1844 - 1907) on November 30, 1870. Sarah Elizabeth, known as "Lizzie" to her family, was the daughter of Daniel G. and Mary S. Smock. She was born in April 1849 on her father's farm in Marlboro. Lizzie and Tunis had only one child, a daughter named Mary Ella (1875 - 1948). Lizzie died at the age of 93 and was interred in the Holmdel Cemtery and Mausoleum in Holmdel.
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