Victorian Gothic Dress Form Sculpture – Black Velvet & Lace

She began as a small fabric-covered dress form, but very little of what you see now existed when I started. I painted the form black and began building her clothing a piece at a time, letting her slowly take on the look of a tiny woman who might have stepped out of another time.

The lace along her bodice was individually cut from lace ribbon, painted by hand, and then carefully applied to the form. Around her neck I made a soft black ruffled collar and finished it with an antiqued cross.

Her skirt was constructed from individual pieces of black velvet ribbon that I cut and attached one at a time to create the layered silhouette. The longer pieces were then finished with black scalloped lace along their edges.

At her waist, I added a small handmade bow and jeweled embellishment. To one side hangs a cameo with two tiny skeleton keys, inspired by the keys once carried by Victorian housekeepers and house mothers.

Even her stand was made specifically for her. I cut an old wooden spindle down to the size I wanted, stained it, drilled it, and secured it to a base I made from two wooden rounds that were sanded and painted black.

She’s dark and feminine without feeling like Halloween décor—more Victorian mourning room, old manor house, or something that has been sitting quietly on the shelf of an old library for generations.

Details

• Approximately 12.5” tall
• Approximately 4” wide × 4” deep
• Weight: just over 9 oz.
• Fabric dress-form/mannequin body
• Hand-painted finish
• Hand-cut and hand-painted lace appliqué
• Individually applied black velvet skirt panels
• Black scalloped lace detailing
• Handmade ruffled collar
• Jeweled and cameo embellishments
• Two decorative skeleton keys
• Repurposed wooden spindle stand
• Handmade wooden base
• Decorative indoor use only

This is a handmade decorative art piece. Small irregularities in the painted finish, textiles and construction are part of the hand-created character of the piece rather than factory-perfect uniformity.

She will be carefully packed for her trip to her new home.

Styled Photo Note:
The first image features a digitally styled background to show how this piece may look displayed in a home. The dress form itself remains as shown in the original photographs. Please refer to the additional photos for actual details, color, scale, and finish.