Exhibition: Out Shopping: The Dresses of Marion and Maud Sambourne (1880-1910)

A display of rare, nationally significant outfits which shines a spotlight on the intimate story of a middle-class mother and her affluent daughter at a moment in history that shaped the way fashion is consumed today.

Several of the outfits have never been publicly displayed before and others have not been seen for more than two decades. A number are rare surviving examples by leading – often female – designers of the era. All are being conserved especially for the exhibition.

Marion Sambourne (1851-1914) was the wife of Victorian illustrator and Punch cartoonist Linley Sambourne (1844-1910). Their daughter, Maud (1875-1960), shared an artistic flair which she abandoned in pursuit of a prosperous marriage with Leonard Messel (1872-1953).

The Sambourne family home at 18 Stafford Terrace has been preserved intact as a unique surviving example of an artistic middle-class home of the period including many of the family's papers, diaries, and correspondence. For the first time this exhibition looks at the lives of Marion and Maud Sambourne and their interest in fashion.

The exhibition will include more than 40 exhibits which marked important moments in both Marion and Maud’s lives, offering a detailed picture of their ‘mother and daughter’ relationship and how fashion informed their distinct personalities. Alongside the 10 dresses, there will be photographs, letters, drawings and receipts (from fabrics and accessories to the all-important corsets) from the Sambourne archive. By placing these objects in the context of their wearers’ lives and relationship - both with fashion and each other –visitors will be able to explore their shopping habits and distinct tastes, along with the important role shopping and dressmaking played in the lives of women in this period.

At Leighton House, the collection of dresses and unseen archive treasures will be on display in the Verey Exhibition Gallery. In the Tavolozza Drawings Gallery, Out in Paris will present a selection of street style photography by Marion’s husband, Linley Sambourne taken during a weekend in Paris in 1906.

The exhibition journey continues at nearby Sambourne House, with a small display plus a documentary film on the conservation process, providing additional insights into the family life of the Sambournes and the opportunity to explore their ‘house beautiful’ designed in the so-called Aesthetic style.