Dressing Collection

Boxer of Quirinal, also known as the Terme Boxer
Greek Art. Hellenistic. Boxer of Quirinal or the Terme Boxer. Bronze sculpture of the Hellenistic period (1st century B.C.). Boxer sitting at rest, with metal and leather dressings used for combat

Wind in the Willows
" The Badgers winter stores, which indeed were visible everywhere, took up half the room." Date: First published: 1908

Flower in her Hair by David Wright
Lovely pin-up by David Wright depicting a slender woman in a strapless black evening dress at her dressing table fixing a flower into her swept up hair. c.1950

At an Advanced Dressing Station on the Western Front, Matania
A horse-drawn Red Cross ambulance wagon arriving at an advanced dressing station behind the front lines on the Western Front

Glymiel Jelly - Nobody in OUR family suffers from chapped hands. Glymiel Jelly stops all that. Date: c.1924

Polkanuggo Quarry, Stithians, Cornwall. September 1902
A view of the quarry face showing workers sitting on a granite block weighing an estimated 2, 738 tons. It was claimed to be the largest single block ever quarried

Ella Shields, WW1 entertainment
Ella Shields (1879-1952) music hall entertainer and male impersonator, most famous as Burlington Bertie from Bow dressed up as both a soldier and a sailor during the First World War. Date: 1917

Heather Honey by David Wright showing a semi-naked woman covered by a diaphanous black negligee. Wright produced a series of over 160 illustrations or pin-ups for The Sketch during the 1940 s

A Scottish trench-barbers hair-dressing establishment
A Scottish army barber is shown cutting another soldiers hair, August 1916

Harness Electric Corsets for women of all ages

Polkanuggo Quarry, Stithians, Cornwall. 1903-1904
A general view of Polkanuggo Quarry with steam traction engine BETA No 483 and workers posing for the camera

Quarry in Mabe or Constantine, Cornwall. 1903-1904
A view of the quarry face showing two workers with sledge hammers standing by a granite block that is being dressed. Part of the Freeman & Sons, Penryn Collection. Photographer: Unknown

WW1 - German Espionage - in disguise as a woman
WW1 - The Little German Maid - German Espionage - a German soldier prepares to get into disguise as a woman in order to infiltrate an approaching band of allied cavalry troops. Date: 1915

WOMAN / MAKE-UP 1926
An attractive woman in a white dress, making up her face at her dressing table

Haltwhistle Milecastle
A view toward the Haltwhistle milecastle, on the southern side of Hadrians Wall. The milecastles served as stationing posts along the length of the wall system

Hogarth Actresses Barn
Strolling Actresses Dressing in a Barn Using a loophole in the law that defied actors to act outside London without a licence

Vesta Tilley / Piccadilly
VESTA TILLEY Music hall entertainer, best known for her male impersonations, singing Algy, the Piccadilly Johnny (with the little glass eye)

Picture No. 12479924
Sphynx Cat, dresssed as Dracula Date:

Pifco electric vibratory massager
Beauty that is yours sincerely: 1950s electric vibratory massager, claiming to help you keep slim and trim, promotes a healthy scalp, affords relief for tired feet and many muscular aches and pains

French lady getting ready to go out in her boudoir - she check the powder on her nose - " Yes, that is just perfect!" Date: circa 1910s

Picture No. 10900268
CAT - Black Cat Date:

Cinderella by Arthur Rackham
Cinderellas sisters arriving for the Ball in all their finery. Date: 1919

David Wright woman in short black underslip
Elegant woman with red hair, wearing a short black, semi-transparent underslip. She is sitting on the edge of her dressing table, loosening her hair

If Unhealthy, be healthy: If Healthy by Healthier
An energetic man starts the day in his dressing gown by diving off the mantelpiece of his living room

English Rose Corsetry advertisement
Advert for the new corselette from English Rose corsetry, exquisitely styled and entirely without bones

Josephine Baker (1906-1975) French singer in her dressing room at Alexandra Palace before taking part in a BBC cabaret show called Cafe Continental

Man in Dressing Gown
Man models a wool jersey dressing gown, and his wire- haired fox terrier poses for the camera

The Bystander front cover by William Barribal
Woman in a yellow, polka dot dress trying on a variety of jaunty, colourful hats

Star and Stargazer 1926
THE STAR AND THE STAR-GAZER An actress in her dressing room receives a friendly visit from a lover of the theatre

Art Deco Dressing Table
This charming bedroom dressing table is in polished mellow toned walnut of pleasing modern design. It has a shaped rimless mirror with a glamorous light fitting!

A Subtle Competition by H. M. Bateman, golfing fashion
Cartoon by the master of social satire, H. M. Bateman showing two men in competition to wear a series of increasingly outrageous golf outfits

Rebecca Riots / 1843
REBECCA RIOTS during which toll gates were attacked in South Wales. Many of the male rioters dressed as women & called themselves Rebecca & her daughters

WILLIAM GILLETTE American actor and dramatist, in the role of Sherlock Holmes Date: 1855 - 1937

Ballerinas in their dressing room
Ballet dancers prepare for a performance in their dressing room. One dancer is seen applying make up, while the feet of another await her silk ballet slippers. c.1947

Hollywood hair dressing salon, Miss Annie Ondra having her h
The Hollywood hairdressing salon of the British Hollywood. Mme Franzi Jaschke attending to Miss Annie Ondra in the great film studios at Elstree

Sacha Guitry / Wife / 1929
SACHA GUITRY French actor and playwright, with his wife Yvonne Printemps during a visit to London

Advert / Pravia Soap 1916
Heno de Pravia soap

Woman Washing / Basin 1927
An attractive woman wearing a patterned dressing gown washes in a basin

PIrate knitting pattern
A gay, swashbuckling three-piece to knit for teenagers! The 1950s were a more innocent time

Boxer of Quirinal, also known as the Terme Boxer
Greek Art. Hellenistic. Boxer of Quirinal or the Terme Boxer. Bronze sculpture of the Hellenistic period (1st century B.C.). Boxer sitting at rest, with metal and leather dressings used for combat

Cecil Beaton and Lady Diana Abdy, Lido in Venice, Italy
Cecil Beaton, photographer and designer, and Lady Diana Abdy, daughter of the Earl of Bradford, on the beach at the Lido in Venice, Italy. Date: 1933

Dressing Fante Ladys hair - Sekondi, Gold Coast, Africa
Dressing a Fanti (Fante) Ladys hair - Sekondi, Gold Coast, West Africa (modern Ghana). Date: circa 1910s

Freeman & Sons dressing floor, probably Penryn, Cornwall. 1903-1904
Classical granite columns on the dressing floor of Freeman & Sons works. The man pictured is either Bernard Freeman or his brother. Part of the Freeman & Sons, Penryn Collection. Photographer: Unknown

Dan Leno, music hall comedian, as Sister Anne
Dan Leno (George Wild Galvin), music hall comedian and musical theatre actor, as Sister Anne in a pantomime entitled Bluebeard, at Drury Lane Theatre, London. Date: circa 1901

Pop singer Beau Brummel receives a helping hand with his cravatte from his valet Jeffers January 1965

Valerie Hobson, actress, on Blend-Rite hair grips card
Valerie Hobson (1917-1998), British film actress, on a Blend-Rite hair grips card. circa 1940s

Reprisal! by H M Bateman - humorous illustration of what can happen if a woman decides to wear trousers

Olive Borden applies lipstick in the mirror
Actress Olive Borden putting the finishing touches to her face in a scene from The Monkey Talks, a film adaptation of the stage play produced in London and New York. Date: 1927

Girl doing makeup
A little girl uses her moms lipstick in front of the mirror Date: 1950s

The Artist at Work by Fred Pegram
Colour illustration by Fred Pegram of a red-haired woman at her dressing-table, applying a mist of perfume from a bottle

Lady in pink underwear by Barribal
Painting of a young woman with dark glossy hair, captured in the middle of getting ready. She sits in pink lingerie and stockings, having just brushed and tied a matching pink ribbon in her hair

Tresahor Quarry, Constantine, Cornwall. 1903-1904
A general view of the quarry with the crane used for moving the granite blocks. Part of the Freeman & Sons, Penryn Collection. Photographer: Unknown

Womens lingerie 1932
A selection of lingerie, with lace, crepe-de-Chine of taffetas. Date: 1932

Tennis-playing brunette beauty prepares to smash
Striking! A tennis-playing brunette beauty prepares to hit a net-side smash shot. It looks like game, set and match for her handsome male companion. Date: early 1940s

People wearing masks and costumes at the Venice Carnival
Carnival goers take to the streets dressed in their finest costumes and masks to parade around St. Marks Square, celebrating the Venice Carnival in Italy. The theme for 2013 is Live in Colour

Mrs Charles Sweeny as Astrae the Star-Maiden
Mrs Charles Sweeny, formerly Miss Margaret Whigham and later the Duchess of Argyll (1912 - 1993), pictured as Astrae

Nothing to Wear by A. K. Macdonald
The Universal Cry - a situation that many women can identify with, nothing to wear. A young woman in her underwear becomes increasingly frustrated as she tries to find an outfit in the morning

Sangers Circus cyclist, Haverfordwest, South Wales
A lady cyclist (probably a man in drag), one of the performers with Sangers Circus during a visit to Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Dyfed, South Wales

A group of three transvestites
Three transvestite ladies in suits and smart hats stand arm-in-arm

Christmas Morning by Margaret Tempest. circa 1910s

Poster, Aladdin at Grand Theatre, Halifax
Pantomime poster, Milton Rays production of Aladdin at the Grand Theatre, Halifax. circa 1900

The Penmare Boozy-Doos, Hayle Carnival, Cornwall
The Penmare Boozy-Doos at the Hayle Carnival, Cornwall -- men in drag, in drum majorette costumes. Date: circa 1980s

Young women in fancy dress costumes
A group of young women dressed in fancy dress costumes preserve the moment for posterity with a photograph in studio

Two women in fancy dress with tankards
Two women in fancy dress costumes comprising of knickerbockers, shirts and waistcoats, raise a tankard of beer each - presumably they re meant to be some kind of 17th century roisterers? c.1928

Mary Henniker-Heaton in fancy dress as Egypt
Mary Henniker-Heaton, debutante daughter of Sir John and Lady Henniker-Heaton, photographed in a fancy dress costume that won her first prize at one of the Monte Carlo fancy dress balls

Japanese Geisha girl getting dressed into her kimono. The final task of tying the large belt sash around her waist

Royal Ascot fashions, 1951
A selection of fashionable outfits for Royal Ascot from Debenham and Freebody and Dickins and Jones. Date: 1951

Just Wright by David Wright showing a glamorous woman fixing her shoe. Wright produced a series of over 160 illustrations or pin-ups for The Sketch during the 1940s

Dressing for the Carnival, 1877. Creator: Winslow Homer
Dressing for the Carnival, 1877

Advert for John Pound & Co dressing case 1912
Ladys real pigskin dressing case, with solid silver fittings. Advertisement John Pound & Co dressing cases. John Pound became Lord Mayor of London in 1904

Roller-skating girl cutting a dash on the beachside boardwal
Frivolous - a roller-skating beauty cutting a dash on the beachside boardwalk Date: early 1940s

Sister and patient, Convalescent Police Seaside Home, Hove
A nursing sister and her patient in the surgery of the Convalescent Police Seaside Home at 205 Kingsway, Hove, East Sussex

Town Topics rehearsal in New York
Theatrical, Ned Wayburns Rehearsal for Town Topics. The ladies chorus dressing room of an unidentified theatre with women pictured in various stages of dressing and grooming. Date: c. 1915

David Wright woman in white evening dress
Elegant woman in a white evening dress, fixing her stocking near her dressing table. David Wright (1912 - 1967), was a popular British artist specialising in glamour

Man Dressing Circa 1800
An elderly gentleman at his toilet buttons up his waistcoat before donning his green coat. He also wears stockings & slippers, breeches a white shirt & cravat. circa 1800

David Wright woman with lipstick
Elegant woman in a low-cut blue evening dress, putting on bright red lipstick at her dressing table. David Wright (1912 - 1967), was a popular British artist specialising in glamour

The Bath Parade by Muriel Dawson
Three children dressedin pyjamas, dressing gowns and slippers march in a procession towards the bathroom armed with towels and soap

Four patients at the Medical Centre, Hendon
Scene at the Metropolitan Police Medical Centre, Hendon, north west London, showing four patients in dressing gowns and pyjamas chatting in a hospital ward

Hohenzollern Redoubt 1915
Wounded soldiers returning to a Dressing Station through Vermelles during the attack on the Hohenzollern Redoubt on the Western Front in France during World War I on 13th October 1915

Exhausted Footman
An exhausted footman, reflected in a dressing table mirror, rests his weary head in his hands and ruminates on the lot of an Edwardian servant

Hannah Snell / Maddocks
HANNAH SNELL Female soldier

Mirrored Dressing Table
A graceful & elegant woman sits on an upholstered leather chair at a stylish art deco mirrored dressing table with a bottle of scent, candlesticks & looking glass

HMS Marlborough, Royal Navy, dressing a diver

Dressing frame in a woollen mill in Bradford, Yorkshire, late Victorian period

All products are expertly crafted, using premium materials, tailored to your specifications and promptly shipped

EDITORS COMMENTS

"Dressing: A Timeless Art Captured in Various Forms" From the powerful and evocative sculpture of the Boxer of Quirinal, also known as the Terme Boxer, to the whimsical world of Wind in the Willows where animals don human attire, it has always held a special place in our lives. In David Wright's painting "Off with the Old, On with the New, " we witness a transformation as an individual sheds their old clothes for something fresh and exciting. Similarly, his piece "Flower in her Hair" showcases how a simple accessory can elevate one's appearance. The image captured at Polkanuggo Quarry in Cornwall transports us back to 1903-1904 when workers dressed in rugged attire tirelessly mined stone from its depths. Meanwhile, Matania's poignant depiction of an Advanced Dressing Station on the Western Front reminds us of how clothing takes on new significance during times of war. Vesta Tilley struts confidently through Piccadilly, embodying gender-bending fashion that challenged societal norms. At Haltwhistle Milecastle, Roman soldiers would have adorned themselves in armor before heading into battle—a stark contrast to leisurely moments spent at Polkanuggo Quarry just two years prior. Picture No. 12479924 invites us into an unknown scene where dressing becomes a mystery waiting to be unraveled. And who could resist David Wright's enchanting portrayal titled "Heather Honey, " where elegance is personified? Finally, we are transported to a Scottish trench-barber's hair-dressing establishment—an unexpected oasis amidst chaos—where soldiers found solace and camaraderie while tending to their appearances. Dressing is more than simply putting on clothes; it is an art form that allows individuals to express themselves creatively and adapt according to circumstance or personal preference. These diverse glimpses into different eras and settings remind us that throughout history, it has played a significant role in shaping our identities and reflecting the world around us.