18th Century Garments in Monochrome Prints
Last updated: Feb 21, 2024
Brilliant multicolor designs dazzle the eye on 18th century printed textiles, but what about single-color prints? Monochromatic prints often appear on printed handkerchiefs, but they were also used on a lot of other garments, including ladies’ gowns and men’s waistcoats. They also turn up in scraps used on housewifes and patchwork pockets.
Single-color printing was a less-expensive process, so many (but not all!) of the garments produced in monochromatic prints were less expensive to produce. While these monochrome print garments may have been just as prevalent than their polychromatic equivalents – or even moreso – they may have been worn out completely, or less desirable for collection and preservation in subsequent years.
I’m grouping these examples of 18th century clothing by the color of the print (and then arranging them roughly chronologically within the color category). Many of these are block prints, but some of the more detailed designs are in plate (or copperplate) prints. It's also possible that some of these prints have aged into another color (especially with the brown and black prints below).
Black
- Zuiderzeemuseum Enkhuizen 1965-10-14, an 18th century under-petticoat from Zaanstreek
- Nederlands Openluchtmuseum HM.8039, an unfinished petticoat made of cotton with an English East India Company import stamp
- Rijksmuseum BK-1982-80-A, a banyan, c. 1750-1799
- V&A IS.105-1950, a woman’s chintz jacket, Friesland, c. 1775-1780
- Christie’s Sale 5473, Lot 41M, an English waistcoat, 1790s
Blue
- Winterthur 1960.0248, an English pocket, c. 1720-1730
- A swatch captioned “a blue & white linnen long sack 1748” in the Barbara Johnson album
- Met C.I.37.2, an American bedgown, c. 1750-1775
- Manchester 1972.110, an English bedgown, 1760-1780
- Historic New England 1998.5875, dress worn by Deborah Sampson, 1760-1790
- A swatch captioned “a Blue & White Copper-plate linnen Gown. eight yards Three shillings a yard August 1764:” in the Barbara Johnson album
- KCI AC7621 92-34-2AB, a French robe à la française, 1770s
Brown
- V&A IS.18-1950, a chintz wentke, Hindeloopen, first quarter of the 18th century
- Winterthur 1969.4671, an English or French bedgown, 1715-1725
- PVMA 1915.18.05, a pocket, c. 1750-1800
- Fries Museum T1956-436, a handkerchief, c. 1775-1799
- Colonial Williamsburg 1985-242, the lining of an English bedgown, c. 1775-1815
- National Trust 1348736, a copperplate printed dress in toile de Jouy with scenes from the Odyssey, c. 1785-1795
- Centraalmuseum 7809, a petticoat in toile de Jouy with scenes from The Deserted Village and the Judgment of Paris, c. 1790-1800
Green
- A swatch captioned “November 1763: a green & white yard wide Stuff night-gown, seven yards, twenty pence a yard” in the Barbara Johnson album
Purple
- A swatch captioned “Purple and white linnen Gown: eight yards half a Crown a yard. Made by Mrs Grey November 1763” in the Barbara Johnson album
- Colonial Williamsburg 1993-338, an English waistcoat, c. 1770-1785
- A swatch captioned “a purple and white copper-plate linnen Gown. seven yards 3 - 2 a yard. Northampton May 1771” in the Barbara Johnson album
- A swatch captioned “a purple and white linnen Gown. eight yards. three shillings a yard. 1779” in the Barbara Johnson album
- Colonial Williamsburg 1992-139, an English child’s dress, c. 1785-1810
Red
- National Trust 814614.11, a doll’s gown, c. 1740-1760
- Printed-to-shape waistcoats on linen turned into a coverlet (fig. 4.7 in For the heat is beyond your conception)
- Fries T1957-450, a house dress or contouche in white linen printed with a red design, c. 1750-1799
- A swatch captioned “two red & white linnen short sacks, 1754: 2 = 4 a yard” in the Barbara Johnson album
- Colonial Williamsburg 1958-241, an English doll’s dress, c. 1770-1780
- A swatch captioned “a Red and white Chintz. Gown and Petticoat. Ten yards. yard wide. three shillings a yard. May 17” in the Barbara Johnson album
- V&A T.29-1966, c. 1775-1785
