Seamstress Collection

Esther Bruce & her father Joseph Bruce in Fulham, London. Josephine Esther Bruce (1912-1994) working-class mixed race seamstress born in Fulham, London to a Guyanese father & an English mother

The Haunted Lady, Punch
The Haunted Lady, or The Ghost in the Looking-Glass. A lady admires her new dress, but the mirror reveals the sacrifice made: the death of the wretched seamstress

Wardrobe Department
Ladies in the Wardrobe Department of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. Date: 1960s

Esther Bruce at the launch of Aunt Esther's Story. Josephine Esther Bruce (1912-1994) working-class mixed race seamstress born in Fulham, London to a Guyanese father & an English mother

Skeleton of death aiming a dart at a young man at a desk
Skeleton of death aiming a dart at a young man writing with a quill pen at a desk with several books. Death and the Student

Spinning wheel
A young seamstress at her spinning wheel. Artist: Lilian Amy Govey Date: 1920

A woman is pampered by her staff
A woman is pampered by her seamstress, her clothes seller, her hairdresser and two chambermaids. As Montesquieu said, For one man to live deliciously, one hundred others must work tirelessly

Seamstress in Bavolet, reign of Louis XIII, 1610-1643
Seamstress, wearing a Bavolet headdress, reign of Louis XIII, 1610-1643. The Bavolet was a lace cap with a frill at the back, also known as the curtain bonnet

Esther Bruce & her adopted nephew Stephen Bourne by Val Wilmer in Fulham, London. Josephine Esther Bruce (1912-1994) working-class mixed race seamstress born in Fulham

Esther Bruce by Val Wilmer in Fulham, London. Josephine Esther Bruce (1912-1994) working-class mixed race seamstress born in Fulham, London to a Guyanese father & an English mother

Esther Bruce (extreme right) at a family wedding in Fulham, London. Josephine Esther Bruce (1912-1994) working-class mixed race seamstress born in Fulham

Esther Bruce, Kathy Joyce, Hannah Johnson and Michael Joyce
Esther Bruce with Kathy Joyce, Hannah Johnson (who adopted Esther into her family in 1941) & Michael Joyce outside 13 Dieppe Street, Fulham, London

The Tallien Costume, finishing touches to a new fashion
The Tallien costume, so called after the famous Directoire beauty, Mme. Tallien, the latest fashion from Paris. A model being fitted with the style at the salon of Doeillet. Date: 1912

SOCIAL / US SEAMSTRESS 19C
A girl sews by candlelight in her apartment while a man drinks at the table and another person lies (ill?) in bed in the same room Date: 1872

Dressmakers Workshop
Women working in a dressmakers workshop. Date: 1894

Cartoon, dressmaker at work
Cartoon, a dressmaker works by lamplight at a table. Her work hangs around her as she sews in poor light. Date: 1870

Suffragette Constance Lytton Jane Wharton. Lady Constance Lytton who disguised herself as Jane Wharton a seamstress, to expose class differences in the treatment of suffragette prisoners

Esther Bruce & Kathy Joyce in Brighton. Josephine Esther Bruce (1912-1994) working-class mixed race seamstress born in Fulham, London to a Guyanese father & an English mother

Esther Bruce in Fulham, London. Josephine Esther Bruce (1912-1994) working-class mixed race seamstress born in Fulham, London to a Guyanese father & an English mother

Esther Bruce & neighbour celebrating the Coronation
Esther Bruce & her neighbour Mrs Bennett celebrating the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in Fulham, London. Josephine Esther Bruce (1912-1994) working-class mixed race seamstress born in Fulham

Royal Wedding Presents - satin blankets
Work in progress on the making of one of the two satin covered blankets ordered by Princess Marina from the Royal School of Needlework on the occasion of her marriage to Prince George

French woman using a sewing machine
Pretty French woman making her lacy underwear using a sewing machine. Date: circa 1909

The Tailor Maid by Reginald Higgins
Illustration showing a young woman sewing a suit while a male admirer gazes lovingly into her eyes. Date: 1926

At the dressmaker s
A ladys outfit is given some final finishing touches by her dressmaker. Date: 1907

The Embroidery Frame by Bertha Newcombe
A young Victorian woman using an embroidery frame, a sewing box next to her and an example of her work, in the form of a sampler, seen on the wall behind her. Date: 1905

Seamstress, Paris, early 19th century, in lace bonnet and collar. Handcolored copperplate engraving by Gatine after an illustration by Louis-Marie Lante from Tradeswomen of Paris, Paris, 1823

Itinerant seamstress, Paris, early 19th century.. Handcolored copperplate engraving by Gatine after an illustration by Louis-Marie Lante from Tradeswomen of Paris, Paris, 1823

Doggy Seamstress
A dog seamstress stitching up a torn dolly. Date: early 1930s

Making Queen Elizabeth IIs coronation robe
Miss Ruby Essan of Wimbledon engaged in her task of making the embroidered crown for the coronation robe of Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal School of Needlework

Wendy North, seamstress, at Chichester Festival Theatre
Wendy North, a Chichester girl, a seamstress in the Chichester Festival Theatres wardrobe department. On the dummy is one of Joan Plowrights costumes. Date: 1962

Sempstresses in Attic
Four sempstresses in a London attic sitting at a table; one naps with her head on the table. Date: 1888

A poor seamstress on Christmas morning
This illustration entitled The poor seamstress on Christmas morning shows a lonely but prayerful young woman and a respectful sympathy for the poor

Measuring Cloth
Photograph showing a woman measuring out enough fabric to make her own nightgown

Making Frilling
Photograph depicting a woman making a frill, perhaps to trim a hat

Sewing Underwear
Photograph showing a woman adding trim and finishing touches to underclothes in 1911

A Weary Seamstress / 1840
A weary seamstress

Jacobssons Modehandel
Carol Jacobssons Modehandel, Stockholm

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