The wide skirt mantua was a dress style specific to royal court and formal entertainments in the 18th century. It was an extravagant gown designed to show-off luxury taste and status. Putting it on and moving in it took skill and practice. This mantua previously belonged to the Earls of Haddington. It is rare for mantuas to survive in such excellent condition.  
 

Who owned the court mantua?

Thomas, 7th Earl of Haddington held the title and estates. In 1750 he married Mary Holt, who became known as the Countess of Haddington. Mary was the widow of Gresham (or Gershom) Lloyd, who had held estates in Jamaica. The Earl and the Countess appear to have led an active social life, with their attendance at balls and hunts reported by Lloyd’s Evening Post. It is likely this mantua belonged to Mary, Countess of Haddington, her daughter Mary Lloyd, or another close female relation. Over 160 items owned by the Earls of Haddington, dating from 1720 to 1900, are now held in National Museum of Scotland collections. 

How to wear a mantua

The mantua consists of a bodice with train, petticoat (or skirt), and a stomacher. The stomacher was a triangular piece of fabric that embellished the front opening of the garment. The original stomacher for this manuta has not survived, but the silk stomacher below shows a rare example from the early 18th century (c. 1730-1750). It is backed with linen and embroidered with a naturalistic floral design in coloured silks and silver-gilt thread.  

Stays (an 18th century precursor to the corset) and a hooped petticoat or panniers gave the required shape for wearing the mantua petticoat. The hooped petticoat was laid out on the floor, with the outer skirts overlay ready for the lady to step into. Both were then pulled up and tied at the waist. Small hip pads, or panniers, may have been added at the waist to support the width and weight of the skirt. The bodice and stomacher were pinned or sewn to the front of the stays. The mantua was then accessorized with the finest European lace and jewels.

Wearing a mantua required practice, from putting it on to learning to walk and dance in it. The layers of clothing could be heavy and required good deportment, a servant or companion would assist with dressing and changing. Women had to practice wearing the court mantua. In the 1801 novel Belinda, Lady Delacour laughs at the absurdity of the situation:

Design inspiration

Mantuas were designed to reflect the status of the wearer. The dresses typically used very expensive fabrics, trimmed with lace or embroidery incorporating gold or silver. The technical skills required to weave the type of complex patterns seen on this mantua made them expensive. The original cost of this court mantua is unknown, but the likely cost of the fabric alone would be around £5,000 today – the equivalent of more than a year’s wages for a skilled tradesperson in 1760.

The design of the court mantua depicts small blue flowers and pink strawberries, interspersed with bands of floral sprigs and bouquets of green, purple, pink, yellow and white. The gold thread has been applied in snaking bands creating shimmering highlights and the dress is trimmed with gold lace. Gold and silver threads can tarnish over time and blacken in colour. The threads on this court mantua have mostly remained shiny and sparkly, evidencing its opulence.  

The exaggerated skirt width reflects the contemporary fashion, but this style was specific to formal court wear. In Britain, the shape of royal court dress remained the same for many years, with only minimal changes to the train and the materials used. 

Royal celebrations

The mantua was only worn on specific royal occasions. This included receptions at Hampton Court and St James’s Palace in London. The King's birthday was one of the main celebratory events of the year. The nobility would gather in London and commission new clothes for such celebrations. Gold brocade fabrics were customary and it's possible this court mantua was made to celebrate the Coronation of King George III in 1761, or perhaps the presentation of Mary Lloyd after her marriage to the elderly John Leslie, 10th Earl of Rothes in 1763. In 1752 the firm of William Sharp advertised,

Restoration and display

Museum Textile Conservators spent 385 hours conserving and mounting the mantua before it went on display in 2016. This included surface-cleaning the garment and humidifying creases. Work to support weak joins and areas of loss, and reattach loose gilt threads, was also undertaken.

Mounting historic garments for display can reveal much about the wearer's body shape. In the 18th century the fashionable body shape was much more conical, and the rigid stays fashioned a flatter, smoother bust line. To achieve this silhouette, and provide support to the display, our costume mounting specialist made a replica hooped petticoat. The museum workshop created an acrylic structure and bespoke mannequin for further support, and padded arms and a replica stomacher were stitched onto the torso. 

The Court Mantua (museum reference K.2013.67.1-2) is on display in the Fashion and Style gallery at the National Museum of Scotland.