ing to 1840, and it is safe to
say, notwithstanding the apparent simplicity of life between those
dates, that at no period in the history of woman was as much time and
consummate skill bestowed upon wearing apparel. Many a young girl of the
day embroidered her own wedding dress, and during the months or years of
its preparation suffered and enjoyed the same ambition which goes on in
the present, to the acquirement of some wonder of French composition, or
costly ornament of point lace and pearls.

[Illustration: _Left_--BABY'S CAP White mull, with eyelet embroidery.
Nineteenth century American.

_Courtesy Metropolitan Museum of Art_

_Right_--BABY'S CAP Embroidered mull. 1825.

_Courtesy Mrs. Isaac Pierson, Canandaigua, N. Y._]

[Illustration: COLLAR of white embroidered muslin. Nineteenth century
American.

_Courtesy Metropolitan Museum of Art_]

Everything was embroidered. The tender, downy head of the newly born
baby was covered with a cap of delicatest material incrusted to hardness
with needlework. The baby's caps of the period are a perfect chapter of
human emotions; mother-love, emulation, pride, and declaration of family
or personal position are skillfully expressed in a multiplicity of
decorative stitches. A six-foot length of baptismal robe carried for
half its length the same elaborate stitchery. Long delicate ruffles were
edged with double rows of scallops. Double and triple collars and
"pelerines" of muslin were to be found in the hands of all women of high
or low degree. Articles of wearing apparel were done upon a soft fine
muslin called mull, breadths of which were embroidered for skirts,
lengths of it were scalloped and embroidered for flounces, and
hand-lengths of it were done for the short waists and sleeves of the
pretty Colonial gowns worn by our delicate ancestresses. One of these
gowns, stretched to its widest, would hardly cover a front breadth of
the habit of one of our well-nurtured athletic girls of the present, and
the athletic girl can show no such handiwork as this.

Beautiful embroidery it was that was lavished upon muslin gowns, baby's
caps and long, long robes, and upon aprons, pelerines and capes. Over
stitch instead of tent stitch was the order of the day. "Tent stitch and
the use of the globes" was no longer advertised as a part of school
routine. Instead of this, there were the most delicate overstitches and
multitudinous lace-stitches which we nowhere else find, unless in th