Dimity and HumHum Textiles

 With the warm weather soon to be arriving..... Light weight and white or off white colored textiles such as Hum Hum and Dimity can be found for clothing in the south.   Although light colored linens, printed cottons and chintzs were the more popular textile for gowns; hum hum and dimity do show up as an alternative textile.

"Textiles in America: 1650-1870" by Florence Montgomery pg. 220 - Indian dimities and figured dimities are shown on this page

Striped dimity from Burnley & Trowbridge (example from my dimity gown)

Dimity textiles

Evidence of Dimity being sold in the Carolinas shows up as early as the 1730s in Charleston. As seen listed here as "fine India dimitys"

The South Carolina Gazette, Charleston SC Jan  1738 pg. 3

 

While this advertisement the list both plain, figured and corded white dimities imported.   

Imported by the late Kenneth & Benjamin Michie -
The South Carolina Gazette January 1st 1750 pg. 4

While the vessel "Charming Nancy" has imported "India" dimity and printed dimity.  What is fantastic about this advert is the variety of summer textiles, white calicos, white chintz and then the dimities. 

The South Carolina Gazette, Charleston SC April 30 1750 pg. 2

North Carolina Gazette and Wilmington Weekly Post-Boy, Dec 29,1773 pg. 3

While in Wilmington, corded and flowered dimity is brought in via vessels from Bristol in late 1773.

So what is "dimity" used for in when constructing clothing items?   We see petticoats, gowns, as well for riding waistcoats and riding habit jackets and petticoats. 

The Public Advertiser; London England, May 30, 1772, pg. 3

The South Carolina Gazette, Charleston SC Jul 12, 1740 pg. 4

Then we see this advertisement for a lost "India "Dimity gown faced with fine chints in Charleston SC, 1740.   It makes you wonder what the chintz fabric was it white or cream color?  

In a search for "dimity petticoat" - it gave me 83 hits from 1730-1783 newspapers covering both England and the US.   Most of the accounts are from England but there were notices for ready made dimity petticoats in SC or dimity to be made into petticoats.  

Bordered dimitites for petticoats " The South Carolina Gazette and Country Journal, Charleston SC March 24 1772 pg 4

"Broad and Narrow figured dimity for petticoats";

The South Carolina Gazette, Charleston SC Jan 22 1756 pg.6 

Hum Hum textiles

Humhums or Hum Hum textiles are seen arriving in SC by the early 1740s and still available up until the 1780s.

The South Carolina Gazette; Charleston SC July 16,1763 p.2

White callicoes, chints and humhums along with India dimity are listed for sale in Charleston in 1763.  Normally hum hums and dimity are not listed together as textiles being sold but we do see it in this advertisement noted above.

The South Carolina and American General Gazette, Charleston SC; March 30, 1772 pg. 6

While this 1772 advertisement for the "Irish Linen Warehouse" in Charleston specifically names HumHums available for gowns along with plain, flowered, striped and check Muslins and then also printed linen and callico gowns available.  And the advertisement below lists "fine white humhums" for gowns also from 1772 Charleston South Carolina.

The South Carolina Gazette and Country Journal, Charleston SC May 12, 1772 pg 3

The only piece of hum hum clothing that I have found so far in the North Carolina is from an inventory from 1777 for Martha McKildo's estate of Edenton, NC where a "white 'hum hums' gown and petticoat" are listed and they were sold at the estate sale for 2 pounds and 1 shilling.

Sale of Estates 1745-1808, Chowan County, NC, Martha McKildo, April 2nd, 1777.

"Textiles in America: 1650-1870 by Florence Montgomery, pg 262

Although the textile description of Hum Hum is of a plain cotton cloth that was thick and stout in texture woven in Bengal.  Was hum hum considered a decent enough textile for summer weight gowns in the south?  I wonder since the hum hum gown and petticoat was worth 2 pounds and the 2 "old" callico gowns were only worth 1 pound and 12 shillings.  

Could we consider dimity being a more finer textile for summer wear versus hum hum?  Yet, in 1775, Hum-hums are available and sold as a variety of articles for the "summer season". 

The South Carolina and American General Gazette, Jun 2 1775 pg.1

Either textile would be a great addition to create a variety of summer clothing especially in the southern climates.   I haven't seen "hum-hums" available on the market for those reproducing 18th century clothing but "dimities" are available and are wonderful addition for summer time history clothing.