Franklin Dean
Martha Washington's wedding dress was made of gold silk damask, with a white silk petticoat with silver threads. She wore purple satin slippers with silver trimmings and spangles, and her dress was trimmed with lace. The combination of expensive, imported yellow and purple silks with silver and gold decorations would have conveyed her elevated social and economic standing. The wedding, which took place on January 6, 1759, was considered the greatest social event that has ever taken place in our colony.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Wedding Date | 6 January 1759 |
| Dress Colour | Gold, Yellow |
| Dress Fabric | Silk, Damask |
| Dress Details | Trimmed with lace, flowers brocaded on a white background |
| Petticoat | White silk with silver threads |
| Shoes | Purple satin, silver metallic lace, spangles |
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What You'll Learn
Gold silk damask dress
On 6 January 1759, Martha Washington wore a gold silk damask wedding dress to marry George Washington. The dress was trimmed with lace, and beneath it, she wore a white silk petticoat with silver threads. Her shoes were made of purple satin and were trimmed with silver metallic lace and spangles. The entire outfit, including the dress and shoes, is on display in a museum.
The gold silk damask dress was chosen by Martha, who was about 5 feet tall (5'2" in heels). The dress was of a style typical of the early 1780s. The colour and fabric of the dress conveyed her lofty social and economic standing. In the 18th century, how one dressed spoke volumes about their status in the community and society.
The wedding was considered "The greatest social event that has ever taken place in our colony". Martha's dress was complemented by George's blue suit, white satin waistcoat, and bright buckles.
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Purple satin slippers
On 6 January 1759, Martha Washington, later known as Lady Washington, wore custom-made purple satin slippers with silver trimmings on her wedding day. The shoes were made in London and were embellished with silver metallic lace and spangles, which were popular at the time. The slippers were paired with a gold silk damask dress, also trimmed with lace, and a white silk petticoat with silver threads. The entire outfit, including the shoes, can be seen at a museum where it is on display.
The choice of outfit reflected Martha Washington's social and economic standing. In the 18th century, clothing choices spoke volumes about a person's status in the community and society. The combination of expensive, imported yellow and purple silks with silver and gold decorations would have conveyed a regal appearance.
The wedding of George and Martha Washington has been described as "the greatest social event that has ever taken place in our colony". Standing at about 5 feet tall, Martha Washington's outfit, including her purple satin slippers, would have made her appear more striking next to her 6'3" husband.
The purple satin slippers are indicative of Martha Washington's fashion sense, as she was known to embrace bold colours and sumptuous fabrics. This is further evidenced by the couple's ledgers, which are full of extravagant clothing purchases for both Martha and George Washington.
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White silk petticoat
On 6 January 1759, Martha Washington wore a white silk petticoat under her gold silk damask wedding dress. The petticoat was trimmed with silver threads, complementing the silver trimmings on her custom-made purple satin slippers. The white petticoat was also a fashionable choice for women of higher status in the 18th century, who often wore silks brocaded with colourful flowers on a white background.
The white silk petticoat, combined with the gold and yellow silk of her dress, would have conveyed Martha Washington's elevated social and economic standing. The use of expensive, imported silks and decorations in her wedding attire would have contributed to a regal appearance.
The white petticoat also matched George Washington's white satin waistcoat, while her gold dress was a complement to his blue suit. The wedding was considered "the greatest social event that has ever taken place in our colony", and the couple's attire reflected their status and fashion sense.
Today, visitors to Mount Vernon can see reproductions of Martha Washington's wedding dress and shoes in the museum.
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Silver trimmings
On 6 January 1759, Martha Washington wore a wedding dress of gold damask, also known as yellow brocade. The gown was trimmed with lace, and she wore a white silk petticoat with silver threads underneath. Her shoes were made in London and were made of purple satin, trimmed with silver metallic lace and spangles. The combination of expensive, imported yellow and purple silks with silver and gold decorations would have conveyed her elevated social and economic standing.
The shoes can be seen in the museum at Mount Vernon, along with reproductions of her wedding dress and sequin-covered shoes.
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Fashionable jewellery
On her wedding day, Martha Washington wore a gold silk damask dress and sequin-covered shoes. She paired this with custom-made slippers in purple satin with silver trimmings. Although we don't know the exact details of her wedding jewellery, we do know that she was a fashionista who embraced bold colours and sumptuous fabrics. We also know that she ordered paste shoe buckles for herself and her children, as well as a complete set of matching paste jewellery, including a necklace, earrings, sprig, hair combs, pins, and buttons.
During the 1750s, jewellery-making techniques became more abundant and complex due to increased globalisation and the prosperity brought by colonisation and global trade. The opening of diamond mines in India and Brazil in the 1720s made these precious gemstones more widely available, and diamonds dominated jewellery design trends until the 1750s when there was a resurgence in the popularity of coloured gemstones. Jewellery makers responded to rapidly changing fashion trends by utilising various techniques and gemstone cuts to create intricate, one-of-a-kind pieces. Repoussé, a technique involving hammering metal into pretty designs, was especially common in the first half of the century. However, the invention of the rolling mill in 1750 sped up the jewellery-making process and saved goldsmiths from hand-hammering each piece.
Fashion icons like Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, and Marie Antoinette heavily influenced the jewellery trends of the late 18th century. The most common jewellery pieces crafted and worn during this period included necklaces, bracelets, earrings, brooches, rings, buckles, and hair ornaments like tiaras, bandeaus, combs, and hairpins. Necklaces came in various shapes and sizes, with the rivière style being the most popular. This choker-length necklace featured individually mounted gemstones linked into a circle by delicate metal. Naturalistic jewellery decorated with clearly recognisable flowers and fruit was also popular, with these motifs first becoming fashionable in the early years of the century due to the widespread interest in botany and the influence of Romantic poets.
Although diamonds were becoming more available to American colonials by the latter half of the 18th century, paste stones or diamond substitutes remained popular. Amber was also a popular jewellery choice during this period, especially among those who wanted to evoke the classical era of ancient Greece and Rome.
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Frequently asked questions
Martha Washington's wedding dress was made of gold damask silk, with yellow brocade and rich lace trim. She wore a white silk petticoat with silver threads underneath her gown.
Martha Washington wore custom-made, London-made shoes with her wedding dress. The shoes were made of purple satin and trimmed with silver metallic lace and spangles.
George Washington wore a blue suit with a white satin waistcoat and bright buckles.
