Artifact: Dimity Petticoat
Materials: Linen/ cotton dimity with needlework
Dimensions: OL: 35 1/2"; Waist: 30 1/2"
Date: 1745-1760
Origin: America, New England
Collection: Image Courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
License: All rights reserved
Ledger Entry: Dimity
Department: Textile
Customer: Mrs. Sarah Wigginton
Ledger Page: 19
Imported From: Most of the textiles sold in the Ramsay store were either produced and imported from England, or imported to the colonies through England.
Product Description
Dimity is a patterned fabric woven in a harness-loom. While initially woven of cotton, some sources refer to linen and silk dimities as well. It is related to fustian; however, where fustian is woven plain and died, dimity is woven with a pattern ranging from simple stripes or checks to more elaborate floral motifs. It was used primarily for clothing and bedding.
Citation: Florence M. Montgomery. Textiles in America, 1650-1870 : a Dictionary Based on Original Documents : Prints and Paintings, Commercial Records, American Merchants' Papers, Shopkeepers' Advertisements, and Pattern Books with Original Swatches of Cloth. (New York :Norton, 1984), 218-219.;
Historical Price: 2 shillings per yard; Modern USD: $22.4
Product Variations
The databases record only four purchases of Dimity by only two customers, Mrs. Sarah Wigginton and Mrs. Elizabeth Broadwater. Of these, two are identified as corded, one as India, and the other as fine India dimity. The prices range from eight and a half pence for a piece of India dimity to two shillings per yard of fine India dimity.
