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Princess Charlotte’s Bellflower Court Dress, 1814-1816

February 22, 2009 by Vic

Princess Charlotte's Court Dress, 1814-16, also known as the Bellflower Dress

Princess Charlotte's Court Dress, 1814-16, also known as the Bellflower Dress

embroidered-bellsWhen I saw Princess Charlotte’s bellflower court dress (1814-16) at the Museum of London I remember being transfixed and standing in front of the glass case for a half hour. I could not get over the exquisite details and embroidery of this gossamer thin gown, and wondered at the hours it took to create it, the number of seamstresses that must have toiled over it, and its cost. It was so beautiful that I mistook it for a wedding dress. The train, which showed slight damage where some of the embroidered bells were missing, is similar to the one on Princess Charlotte’s silver net wedding gown. Tradition has it that this court dress was made for Princess Charlotte on her engagement in 1814. The bellflowers were fashioned from silk covered wire and net decorated with silver thread darning and the tiny beads were made from blown glass. (The London Look, p 22)

The Museum of London website states that this sumptuous dress, which is “covered with hundreds of tiny three-dimensional bellflowers, exemplifies the technical excellence of London’s dress-makers in this period. The dress needed 600 hours of conservation work and is so fragile it may never be shown in public again.”

Detail of bells and net embroidery

Detail of bells and net embroidery

Short in stature and slightly dumpy, and not known for her fashion sense, Princess Charlotte could easily afford elaborate costumes. Her provisioners included the William King of Pall Mall, a silk mercer, and Mrs. Triaud and Mrs. Bean, London dressmakers who worked on her trousseau. (The London Look, p 22.)

According to a contemporary description, the Princess entered her mother’s drawing room in May 1815 in an exquisitely beautiful dress that (from the description) looked similar to the bellflower dress:

Gold lama and white draperies over a petticoat of rich white satin and gold twisted trimming; train of rich figured white satin, body elegantly trimmed with rich gold and blond lace; head-dress, plume of ostrich feathers, with a beautiful diadem of brilliants; necklace and ear-rings of diamonds. – The London Look, p 24

  • Dresses Worn By Princess Charlotte: Museum of London
  • Princess Charlotte’s Court Dress
  • Museum of  London
  • The London Look, Fashion from Street to Catwalk. By Christopher Breward, Edwina Ehrman, Caroline Evans, 2004

princess-charlotte-court-dress3Front of gown, Museum of London

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Posted in Fashions, jane austen, Jane Austen's World, Regency style, Regency World | Tagged Bellflower dress 1814-16, Court dress, Museum of London Exhibit, Princess Charlotte, Regency Fashion | 10 Comments

10 Responses

  1. on February 22, 2009 at 01:34 Dana Huff

    Thank you for sharing that. It’s just beautiful. The detail is incredible.


  2. on February 22, 2009 at 16:03 Felicia

    What an absolutely beautiful dress!


  3. on February 22, 2009 at 20:11 Amy

    Great post! What a magnificent dress…I’m sure I would stood there that long with you just in awe of such decadence.


  4. on February 24, 2009 at 17:13 Paivi Eerola

    Thanks for sharing the dress. It’s amazing!


  5. on February 26, 2009 at 12:02 Jenny-Rose

    The dress is also featured in the book “In Royal Fashion: The Clothes of Princess Charlotte & Queen Victoria” by Kay Staniland. I don’t know if this book is still in print or not, I picked it up in the Museum of London bookstore a few years ago. It’s a great resource though if you can find it! :>


  6. on February 27, 2009 at 10:05 Elisa

    Thank you so much for this! What a magnificent dress!!


  7. on August 24, 2009 at 04:51 Althea Hayden

    Wow – how sumptuous and decadent! I am curious though: does the date given (1814-16) mean that she actually wore it more than once to court, or simply that they can’t precisely place when she did?


    • on August 25, 2009 at 08:20 Vic

      Thank you for your question, Althea. I am only guessing, but having seen this dress up close, I imagine it took untold man hours to fashion those bells and embroider that dress, even with a team of seamstresses, so perhaps the time span also includes when the dress was made. As for wearing the dress twice, I can’t imagine that someone of Princess Charlotte’s stature would have done so. Then again, the era was known for recycling dresses. This one was special enough to have been preserved for all these years. Lucky us.


  8. on March 3, 2011 at 02:25 The Bell Flowers on Princess Charlotte’s Court Dress « Jane Austen's World

    […] years ago I featured Princess Charlotte’s bellflower court dress, a sumptuous creation that must have taken a boatload of seamstresses untold hours of work to […]


  9. on April 25, 2011 at 11:04 In Honor of the Royal Wedding: Princess Charlotte’s Wedding Dress, 1816 « Jane Austen's World

    […] Princess Charlotte’s Bellflower Court Dress, 1814-1816 […]



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