Dress mantlemaker

[Melberry]

Can anyone tell me what this occupation is and what it involved? I have tried to google it but had no success. Is there a good website that gives descriptions of various occupations?
TIA
Suzanne

[Procat]

Could it be Mantuamaker? This was a dressmaker. See here.

[joycereeves]

I think a mantlemaker was the term used for a cape for going over a dress, It may have some loosely religious meanig
as a minister asking the deceased ( religious minister ect) to give throw them there mantle
Hope this helps.

[margarita]

Suzanne,

I find this site useful for old occupations

http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/index.html

It has this entry

Mantua Maker A specific type of Dressmaker.

Mantuas became stylish in the seventeenth century. A Mantua was a loose gown worn over a petticoat and open down the front. Although this standard dictionary definition brings to mind the image of a dressing gown, the Mantua was nothing of the sort. The style may have begun as a casual garment, but Mantuas were usually made of sumptuous material such as damask or brocade and worn for dressy occasions.

A Mantua was unboned, but it wasn't unfitted. In other words, there were no stays. The construction was quite tricky. The Mantua was constructed from a single length of material, with few, if any, cuts. Our image of dressmaking is cutting out a variety of pieces from the fabric, some small, then sewing those pieces together. Mantua-making was not at all like this.

One of the things that identifies a true Mantua is that it did not have a separate skirt and top. The material was one continuous piece from shoulder to floor. Mantuas fitted the figure, yet had a very full skirt. This was accomplished by shaping the material to the body with a series of deep, outward-facing stitched-down pleats that flared below the waistline.

This single-piece construction with few irreversible actions meant that gowns could be altered for changes in fashion, weight, and ownership. A skilled Mantua maker could, literally, disassemble a Mantua and remake it into a new garment, saving the expensive material.

Depending on the current style and the Mantua-maker's method of construction, the rich fabric might be longer in the back, almost forming a train. The Mantua was not closed at the front (usually just caught at the waist, sometimes belted), exposing the shirt or the lightweight petticoat, which was often of silk. This allowed interesting and attractive contrasts in colour and fabric. It also permitted more freedom of movement.

A stomacher was often worn with a Mantua. This was an elaborate, decorated, ornamental piece, shaped in a V to help create the illusion of a slim waist.

maggie

[Peter Goodey]

Mantle was a type of cloak. A popular description of clothes manufacturers in the 19th century was "mantle makers and costumiers" or "mantle and costume makers" etc etc. See trade directories for more examples.

[daleaway]

When I worked in a very traditional department store in the 1950s, the coats department was still called Mantles, and the dressmaking requisites, hosiery etc were called Haberdashery, known as Haby for short.

And I'm still young and gorgeous (and delusional), so the word has been in quite recent use in its traditional sense!

I would say the lady ancestor was a tailoress making outerwear - coats and cloaks and jackets.

[Melberry]

Thank you everyone for your replies. She is definitely a dress mantle maker and not a mantuamaker. I realised later that a mantle was a type of cloak worn over dresses. Her deceased husband had been a draper.
Thanks again
Suzanne

[Hobson]

Can anyone tell me what this occupation is and what it involved? I have tried to google it but had no success. Is there a good website that gives descriptions of various occupations?
TIA
Suzanne

The term mantlemaker would denote someone who makes over garments or overcoats. A term used mainly in the ladies tailoring trade.

[tamaraloos]

Thank you everyone for your replies. She is definitely a dress mantle maker and not a mantuamaker. I realised later that a mantle was a type of cloak worn over dresses. Her deceased husband had been a draper.
Thanks again
Suzanne

Hi Suzanne,
I am looking up a family that involved a married couple: the wife was a dress mantle saleswoman and the husband a draper. Did you find out about these two occupations? If so, would you mind forwarding to me any good sources? Thank you, Tamara