Description:This striking dress in yellow trimmed with black velvet was made by M. & E. Abbott of 65 Hagley Road, Edgbaston, in 1896. However, we can't be sure exactly how it looked when it left the dressmakers. The lace panel down the front has been added later and the sleeves may have been replaced too. In fact, the bodice may have started life the other way around - most bodices at the time opened down the front, but this opens at the back. So this dress has clearly been well used over many years and frequently altered. Nevertheless, it retains its Mediaeval-style neckline which was very popular in the late nineteenth century.