This stole is made from an open-weave silk, printed with the design ‘Hera and Honesty’, also known as ‘Peacock and Honesty’, which was registered by the company of Liberty & Co. in 1926. It was named after Hera, the Greek goddess of women and marriage, with whom the peacock was associated. The peacock feather motif, a favourite of the Aesthetic Movement, had already featured in the Liberty’s textile designs from the late 1880s. A colour image of this model was published on Liberty’s 1928-1929 Yule-Tide Gift catalogue as a ‘Specimen of hand-printing from Liberty’s own works at Merton Abbey’ for ‘£ 1.7.6.’. Its re-appearance in the following year’s Christmas gift catalogue – this time next to two different colourways – suggests its success in the previous year.

Together with two ‘Related Items’, this stole is part of a group in the same print design that features three different colourways, as well as three different types of fabric, giving each garment a very distinct character.

The design appears hazy and indistinct on the open-weave silk grenadine of this stole.

In contrast, the triangular shawl is of fine chiffon, with a subordinate pattern woven in dull gold and silver metallic threads which bears very little relationship to the printed design. It does, however, give it an extra dimension and attracts the light making it ideal for evening wear.

The dress is made from crepe de chine, now slightly faded in places. Full-length dresses such as this, printed with flowers and foliage, were often worn at formal afternoon events during the summer, and were known as Ascot or Garden Party dresses.