Eliza Lucas Pinckney (1722-1793) was an influential figure among the landed gentry in Charleston. Best known for developing indigo as a cash crop and for her attempts to bring sericulture to South Carolina, she was a botanist, planter, and landowner in addition to being a wife, mother, and grandmother. Although Pinckney herself was very invested in agricultural work, she would not have been so fortunate without the labor of enslaved people, whose oppression built her wealth many times over on the Wappoo and Belmont Plantations.

Eliza Pinckney moved to London in 1753 with her husband and children where, according to family history, she wore this pink silk floral gown, a modified robe à la française, “when presented at court.” With this information, we think it is more than likely that she was wearing the dress that autumn for the family’s audience with Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales.

Recent conservation, generously funded by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, has preserved the gown. However, it remains very delicate and can no longer be exhibited upright on a mannequin. In honor of the 250th anniversary of the Museum and the accompanying publication of a book, the gown was very briefly dressed for new photography. This allows the object to be seen in the round, and further documents it for posterity. Unfortunately, due to the strain that mounting puts on the fibers, it is unlikely to ever be dressed again in our lifetime.

With this exhibition of her dress and accessories, we invite you to consider Eliza Pinckney’s multifaceted legacy: influential gentry, wealthy enslaver, avid botanist, American patriot, and loving matriarch. Though small fragments of a large life, each of these objects tell a story about the real-life woman who became part of the larger South Carolina Lowcountry legend.

For more information about Eliza Lucas Pinckey's life and legacy, including the cultivation of indigo and how her pink gown came to the Museum, check out our blog post!

• Pickett, M.F. Eliza Lucas Pinckney: Colonial Plantation Manager and Mother of American Patriots, 1722-1793. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
• Pinckney, Eliza Lucas. The Letterbook of Eliza Lucas Pinckney. Edited by Marvin R. Zahniser. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 1997.
• Ravenel, Harriott Horry. Eliza Pinckney. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1896.