Ivory silk wedding dress with a lined and boned fitted bodice; fronts are pointed, and have an eighteen button front closing; spherical buttons covered with figured silk. Back is cut in six sections; four centre sections extend length of skirt and a train are cut to allow for four groups of close gathers at the base of the three centre back seams. Stand up collar is covered by pleated tulle on outside and finished with a bow at throat. A neck frill of overlapping silk pleating is stitched inside the back band. Narrow two-piece sleeves are finished with bands of ruched tulle and large ribbon rosettes. Skirt stitched to waistband with a narrow yoke; centre back hooked opening. There’s an inverted pleat at the centre front of the skirt, and one on each side. A wide panel of banded plush around front and sides is stitched to the lining of the skirt; finished with fancy pleated frill; some frilling around bottom of train. A triangular panel of plush was stitched on to suggest a turn-back at each side of train; dust frill. Bodice has hooked inside waistband. There are some small pieces of the main fabrics of this dress stored with the dress. There is a photocopy of a small newspaper clipping in the file that reads: “MARRIED. McTaggert-Spencer – At the residence of the bride’s father, 594 Queen’s avenue, Sept. 17th, 8 p.m. by the Rev. D.G. Sutherland, LLB., Alexander McTaggert, M.D., to Josephine Maud, only daughter of William Spencer, all of London.” (Other other pieces of the wedding outfit can be found with catalogue numbers D-10765 a, D-10765 b-c, D-10766 a-b, D-10767, and D-10768.)

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White satin on the front half of dress is cut on princess lines, with two long boned darts on each side of the center front; buttoned opening. Horizontal darts at waist, and two hooked caps inside buttonholes. The remainder continues down to five tiers of frills across the lower part of the skirt. Dress has a low square neck with corded edge filled in with gathered lace. Short puffed sleeves set in at front with cording. Puffing mostly concealed by bands of midnight blue velvet corded with white satin which are stitched into armband and armhole. Sleeves finished with lace frill. Back half of dress made of black velvet cut with two large box pleats across shoulder. They are late 18th century style and are stitched down back to waist. Sewing on the back is much inferior to that on the front. The garment has been made up from the front of a dress from the 1870s dress. The back suggests an 1880s or 1890s aesthetic.

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