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Description: | Inscription on lower left of photograph reads: "Ethel E. Cox 1930." Miss Cox was the First Principal (Also referred to as: Head Mistress) of the Barrett Street school; she served there from 1915 to 1950. These portraits show Miss Cox in a court presentation gown which she wore to be presented at the Court of George V in her capacity as Mayoress of Wandsworth. Miss Cox's father, a widower, was elected Mayor in 1929 and Miss Cox, his eldest daughter, acted as Mayoress. Her silk dress was made by the students of the Barrett Street school according to strict regulations issued by the Office of the Lord Chamberlain. After the retirement of Miss Cox in the 1950s, men were allowed entry into the school. Dressing for Court Ever since the ruling monarch held formal courts, the women who attended them wore the most expensive clothing they could afford in order to display their social standing. Over the years, a court dress developed which was far more decorative and elaborate than the clothing worn outside the court. By the end of the mid-1920s, a thriving business had been built up by the leading West End dressmakers, fashion houses, and department stores supplying court gowns and accessories. Social etiquette deemed it desirable for women who took part in London's society events to be presented at court. Formal presentations were dropped during WWI, but were resumed in 1922. This led to extra demand for skilled workers who could design, embroider, and make the formal gowns and trains. From the late 1920s to the 1940s, just after the beginning of WWII, the prospectus for the school included a photograph of a court presentation gown made by the students, and indicated the importance given in training for making formal court wear. It was important that students be familiar with the regulations pertaining to court wear: court gowns of the inter-war period usually followed the same line as fashionable evening dress with the addition of a prescribed headdress, veil, feathers. The 1937 edition of Dress Worn at His Majesty's Court* states that "trains should not exceed 2 yards, and the veil held in place by three white feathers mounted as a Prince of Wales Plume and should be no longer than 45 inches." Although white was the preferred colour for debutantes, coloured gowns were permitted. Black was worn for mourning. Court gowns, without their trains were often reused for formal eveningwear. * Herbert A. P. Trendell, editor, 1937. Dress worn at His Majesty's court . London: Harrison & Sons. | Subjects: | photograph ostrich feather fan eveningwear Administration: portrait gloves veil womenswear principal headdress dresses train Prince of Wales plumes embroidery court presentation gown | Source: | Vads | Creator: | Artist: Photographer unknown Creator Corporate Name: Barrett Street school | Identifier: | http://www.vads.ac.uk/large.php?uid=7653... | Go to resource |
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