This fancy dress outfit of dress, cap and banner dates from the last years of the 1920s. It clearly represents the theme of Good Fortune with its four- leaf clovers, horseshoes, money spiders, and a large black cat which graces the back of the bodice, its tail represented by a long tassel. Although these motifs are roughly executed, the regularity of some, such as the clover leaves, suggests that a stencil or simple printing block may have been used. The cap is simply constructed from black silk, with the words ‘Good Luck’ crudely embroidered across the cotton band.

The outfit appears to have been worn over a number of years; at some point during that time the swastikas, ancient and universal symbols of good fortune with which the dress was originally decorated, were patched over with more appropriate motifs once they had become associated with the Nazis. This can be seen clearly on the front of the bodice and at the base of the back of the skirt. (See Additional Images)