No 17. Margaret Tatchell's Wedding Dress
Date: 1908
Why is it important: Evidence of affluent businesses whose owners are able to afford luxury items.
Emsworth was not a wealthy town in 1908. The obliteration of the oyster trade after 1902 wrought havoc on the finances of all those businesses that supplied the oyster merchants and the fishing families. Some businesses survived and prospered, however, and this excellent Edwardian wedding dress is evidence of that affluence. Worn by Margaret Tatchell, it was a gift to the Museum from Mrs Catherine Huxham following the Lewis/Tatchell Exhibition held at the museum in 1998. Sue Wallis professionally dressed the mannequin with the wedding dress in 2021 using the methods and materials approved by the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Find this in the Southwest Corner of the Main Exhibition Hall