In books set in the 1920s and ’30s, particularly in Agatha Christie’s works, references to a maid wearing a “print dress” may seem confusing when the dress appears to be a solid color. However, the term “print dress” traditionally refers to a garment made of fabric with a printed design, even if the specific design or color is not described.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term “print” in this context has denoted a garment made of printed fabric or fabric bearing a printed pattern since the mid-19th century. Early examples of the phrase include a mention in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp from 1856.
The history of the term “print” dates back to the 17th century, where it was used to describe printed fabric or the pattern on such fabric. The term was borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Middle French, where it referred to an impression made by a seal or stamp.
While Agatha Christie’s use of “print dress” may lack specific details in some instances, in other works she provides a clear description of a fabric with a printed pattern. Similar descriptions can be found in works by other authors of the time, such as Margery Allingham and Virginia Woolf.
In modern literature, the term “print dress” continues to be used to describe garments made from printed fabric, as seen in Arthur Miller’s memoir Timebends: A Life from 1987.
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