The more you research, the more you learn of how little we know. After yesterday’s post I had a discussion with a couple of friends and I learned two nuggets that I feel that I have to share with you as soon as possible. First, Anéa has posted several of her own photos of the Norwegian mantua, with additional information on her Livejournal. The Shrewsbury mantua The Valdemar mantua Second, the Valdemar Castle gown DOES have a pattern! It can be found in a Danish book, Moden i 1700-årene, fra 1690 till 1790 by Ellen Andersen, published in 1977. I’m sure that you understand why it makes me exited. This means that there are patterns for three early mantuas! I was given a photocopy of that book years ago from a friend and I have always assumed I got all of the patterns, but I hadn’t. It also highlights how unknown costume research remains when it isn’t translated to English. I have yet to se the pattern, but I have been informed that even though it has pleated sleeves that look similar to the Shrewsbury mantua, they are set in sleeves and not cut with the rest of the gown as that one is. I find it very interesting that three gowns that are of the same type and also in such a narrow time frame, 1690-1710, seems to be quite different from each other. I look forward to have all three patterns for a better comparison. The Kimberley mantua