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Learn the unique history of the peacock dress, one of National Trust’s most unique and treasured items. Find out how we’re working to ensure it is conserved for future generations to enjoy.
In 1903, Lady Mary Curzon captivated the room at the Delhi Durbar ball, wearing an exquisitely handcrafted peacock dress. This evening ball followed the Coronation Durbar in Delhi – the highpoint of Lord Curzon’s term as Viceroy of India (1899-1905).
This lavish event was full of pageantry and royal ceremony, to entertain and impress Indian princes and dignitaries. The dress caught the attention of the world press. It marked Lady Curzon as a leader of style in the same way as celebrities in the media do today.
The dress has been on show at Kedleston since it first came into our care in 1997 when the dress was gifted to HM Government by Lady Alexandra Metcalfe (Mary’s daughter) in lieu of inheritance tax.
Made of fabric traditionally worn by Mughal court rulers, it appropriated the motif of a peacock feather - an important Hindu symbol, particularly associated with Lord Krishna and the goddess Saraswati.
The distinctive peacock feather pattern is created by intricate hand-stitched embroidery.
The fabric was made in India and embroidered by professional gold thread embroiderers from the Workshop of Kishan Chand (Cathy Hay, an independent Dress Historian and Maker, discovered the name of the embroidery firm in a feature in the Illustrated London News, 17 January 1903).
The ‘eye’ of each plume is set with iridescent green beetle-wing cases, giving the glittering appearance of emeralds.
The fabric was then sent to House of Worth in Paris and made into a two-piece dress of a bodice top and skirt. The bodice was embellished with lace and the trained skirt (champagne-coloured silk satin, lined with densely woven cotton muslin) was trimmed with white silk flowers. The finished dress was then sent back to India for the Durbar.
As the dress is covered in metal thread embroidery, including silver and gold, it is very susceptible to damage if the environment is not controlled appropriately.
Relative humidity is damaging to both textiles and metal, resulting in tarnishing of the silver or mould on the textiles beneath.
Frequent monitoring and control of the environment when it was inside its display case has prevented some deterioration of the fabric and delicate metallic embroidered threads.
Textile with heavy beading or decorative detail can also be notoriously difficult to display without gravity putting strain on areas of the fabric. The peacock dress itself weighs over 4.5kg (10lbs).
The recent removal of the dress from its mannequin provided an opportunity to learn more about its design. New fascinating discoveries were made including a pocket at the back of the skirt as well as an appreciation of the variation in colour of the embroidery work and the fabric underneath.
There is evidence that the dress was more vibrant when it was originally made due to the presence of unfaded colours within the embroidered design, for example there are coloured threads which hold the metal embroidery in place (called couching stitching.) These have faded over time as a consequence of the harmful effects of UV light.
The team at Kedleston have been working with the National Trust’s leading textile specialists to better understand the dress’s current condition and future needs.
In January 2022, the dress was removed from display and assessed by our conservators. Their assessment has highlighted some necessary remedial work to stabilise the dress. Once this work has been carried out the dress will also lie flat, enabling the fibres of the fabric to relax. When it is ready to be displayed again the conservation studio have recommended a new mannequin to be purpose-built to support the dress’s specific design and weight.
- Ella Kilgallon, Property Curator
All of these various treatments will ensure this remarkable dress will be able to go back on display for future generations to see, once again demanding the limelight as it did in Delhi in 1903.
With your ongoing support, we're able to continue our vital conservation work. Thank you for helping to protect these special places.
Everyone needs nature, now more than ever. Donate today and you could help people and nature to thrive at the places we care for.
Find out how the team at Kedleston Hall have been working to protect and conserve Kedleston Hall’s objects and collections, from books to the 18th-century floor.
Volunteers play a huge role at Kedleston Hall, from nature conservation to catering. Discover volunteer opportunities at Kedleston and learn how to get involved.
Discover more about Kedleston’s vibrant story and how it’s entangled with global histories, from Rome to India.
Visit the Hall at Kedleston, which is a prime example of 18th-century Palladian and Neoclassical inspired architecture and the ancestral residence of the Curzon family.
Read about our strategy 'For everyone, for ever' here at the National Trust, which will take the organisation through to 2025.
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