A Lieberman & Siegel cream wool walking suit, American, circa 1917, labelled, in cream wool g

A Lieberman & Siegel cream wool walking suit, American, circa 1917, labelled, in cream wool gabardine, embroidered detailing to belt, pleats to the skirt, bust 92cm, 36in (2)

This collection was purchased in the 1970’s by Steven Gregory from a second hand shop in West Norwood. One of the pieces bore the unusual embroidered name tag ‘Mrs Trummer’. From this small lead Mr Gregory managed to amass a huge amount of information which places the clothes in context with their social history. Mrs Trummer was born in 1837 as Elizabeth Agnes Hodges and was twice married. Her second marriage certificate lists Elizabeth Agnes Coles (widow) marrying Otto Trummer (a Prussian merchant) on 28 March 1863 at Saint Mary, Edge Hill, Lancashire. Her father John James Hodges is listed as an artist. There is a record of Otto Trummer’s application for British Citizenship in The National Archives dated 30th November 1870. The Census of 1871 show them living at 23 Norland Square, Notting Hill. Some time after 1871 they moved to Morland Road, Norwood. Norwood was home of the future Frederick III, Emile Zola and Camille Pissarro. After Otto Trummer sold his business in New London Street, EC3 in the mid 1880’s they moved to 54 Lancaster Gate, Bayswater. The Opera Coat c.1896-7 is a glamorous testimony to visits to the grandest social events. Mrs Trummer died in 1904 aged 67. How the clothes came to arrive in West Norwood remains a mystery but a Miss Elizabeth A.I. Trummer (born in India c.1858) worked as a music teacher at Harcourt in Croydon and lived in West Norwood, she may have been a relation. Some of the later clothes in this collection (some of Indian silk) were presumably hers. These costumes map the rise and prosperity of an émigré and his wife at the end of the 19th century.